Bringer of Peace
by Mr AnimeKidd
Summary: He gave them peace, but they craved war. He gave them knowledge, and they used it to kill. He gave them understanding, and they corrupted it. This war-torn, shinobi world was not his legacy. The Child of Prophecy was born. And the Rikudo Sennin was back. It is time to change the world, again.
1. Second Coming

**Author's Note's:**

**Hello everyone! Mr AnimeKidd here with a story idea. You've probably noticed that the title resembles the moniker of Naruto in my other fic, Hero or Monster. Well, this was actually written before that fic was even thought of, and I just changed the name to "Bringer of Hope". **

**I wrote this out of the blue one day, and afterwards, I just couldn't figure out what I was going to do with it. I honestly have no clue where it goes from here, so I'll leave that to the readers. If you think it's a clever idea, and want to see more, let's see what we can do. The readers will have to create the story line though, because I'm lost. I wrote the base idea, now let me know what comes next. **

**Hero or Monster is still my main story, but when I get bored of writing just that fic, I'll work on this. It will keep me motivated and in the mood to write more. **

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><p>Bringer of Peace<p>

Chapter One – Second Coming

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><p>The thing with immense power is that, after a while, it starts to become- to a point- aware. Aware that it is in fact immense, and like everything else, wants to stay that way. Preservation is a powerful thing.<p>

So when the man known as Uchiha Madara combined the cells of Senju Hashirama within himself he didn't know that it wasn't the cells that he was combining. Madara and Hashirama were in fact reincarnations of the transmigrant chakra of Asura and Indra Otsutsuki, the children of Hagoromo Otsutsuki, known to the world as the Rikudo Sennin.

So by combining the chakra of Asura and Indra, Madara was able to awaken incredible power in the form of the legendary Rinnegan.

What the Uchiha Patriarch did not know was that by combining such powers together, controlling what it did was not possible. After the Uchiha's death the cycle should have continued, Asura and Indra were to incarnate once again like they have been since they 'died'. However, when power becomes aware, it does not wish to fade away. Feeling the path that Asura would take, Indra's chakra did the only thing that it could; it attacked.

Dominance was the only thing that Indra craved at the point in time that the transmigrant chakra's battled in the small blond host. If Indra could take all of his little brothers power than he could feel even more alive than he did with only a small portion of it. He only needed to defeat Asura, absorb his power, and then wait for his destined body to be born. Simple enough, right?

Nothing is ever simple.

The brothers had no idea that their battle of wills was slowly summoning something that was never supposed to come back to this world. He had died- chose to die. He wanted to let humanity live on their own in the peaceful world that he had created. He did not wish to be treated like a god, even if he was the closest one could come to being divine and all powerful. He had done his job, his dream, and left the world to its own devices. Did he have to leave the world of the living and have faith in humanity? No, no he did not. But he chose to give them their freedom and let his body die like everyone else. At the time he had chuckled, he was practically a god his entire life and he was choosing to leave it as a human.

An immortal mortal, such absurdity.

Not even he understood how his children's chakra was summoning his own, but he couldn't conjure up a reason to try and stop it, even if he could. He had seen what the world was like after he had left it. Such a sad place was not his legacy. And don't even get him started on his children. So when he felt the gentle yet firm pull, he _allowed_ it to take him. Again he chuckled, whatever force was doing this, trying to revive him, approached with trepidation. Was he really that scary? Yes, the horns were not an everyday occurrence but they didn't make him a demon- he was quite the opposite actually. If they only knew he was the most humble, gentle, and charismatic man ever created they wouldn't treat him… like a god… which he wasn't.

Kinda.

Now that he thought about it, the idea excited him. He could see his other nine children again. He didn't get a whole lot of time with them the first time. He knew- to a degree- that his creations were treated badly since his departure. Something about sealing them into children to create solders. People of this time treated them like they were nothing more than mindless monsters, putting them on leashes like pets.

He was going to change that.

It took a lot to enrage the calm and peaceful man, but when he was, there was nothing more terrifying than a godlike man with the power to destroy the world if he wanted to. What made it even scarier was that, to him, it would be easy. And nothing under the sun and moon could escape his judgment.

Again another chuckle…he created the moon.

Finally making his way to his destination, he had stopped the fight between his children. Literally, he arrived and everything paused. There was not a stronger will in existence than his own. It was almost omnipresent and omnipotent.

The god man just felt their presence for a second, forgetting about their unnecessary and oh so redundant fighting for the memory of their childhood. When they were still his innocent children, loving and caring, even Indra. Deciding that he had spent enough time just watching them, he absorbed all of Asura's chakra, and then all of Indra's. He could also feel one of his creations near as well, the strongest of them if the enormity was anything to go by. A smile came to his face; he really missed his children, all of them.

Asura hadn't resisted at all, he actually embraced his father's overwhelming pull. He was always one to cooperate when he could, and his belief that love was the way to peace was one of the reasons he was appointed as the successor of Ninshu. He knew his youngest son would accept him; he always trusted his father and knew that even if he wanted to he could not stand against him. Not even the god's themselves wouldn't dare deny him.

Indra, however, did try and resist. He, like always, wanted all the power for himself. He wanted people to look at him like they did his father; six parts respect and four parts fear. It angered him that no matter how hard he tried he could never amount to the power he knew his father possessed. It was ridiculous, how was a man able to become so fucking strong? He was so powerful that everyone knew that he had left the realm of mortals and ascended to godhood long ago. Why he let himself die like a weak mortal was beyond him.

Like always, whenever his father wanted something to obey, it did. With little to no effort, Indra became a part of him.

With one last moment of silence, he allowed his entirety to synchronize with the crying baby. He was vaguely aware of the man and woman that had just taken their last breaths in this world. He guessed that they were his parents. Such a shame, he would have preferred to know them.

He could also feel Kurama's presence inside himself. That both made him happy and angry, which was something he disliked being; torn. He was happy because he was so close to one of his children so quickly, and angry that one of his son's was once again imprisoned. Once he could, he would change that.

He now had a plan: find his children and take them back. They would be safe with him, and he would make sure they never had to feel all the pain, loneliness and hatred they currently were.

And bring back the peace he had worked so hard for the last time he walked the earth.

What his name used to be is irrelevant now. He was someone new, in a new world- to him at least. Everything has changed, and he was going to change it even more. That was his destiny, and he could even feel that his new self was the same.

The Child of Prophecy was born.

And the Rikudo Sennin was back.

The second coming of peace was nigh.

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><p><strong>Author's Note's:<strong>

**I eagerly await the idea's everyone has for the story.**


	2. Pure Corruption

**Author's Note's:**

**If anyone is looking for a story that is well written, has promise, and interesting (even though it only has two chapters so far), go check out ****Guardian of the Flame**** by ****Dreaming of the Sky****. She is seriously an amazing writer and a cool person in general. Go check her out. I have a feeling she's going to make an awesome story. **

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><p>Bringer of Peace<p>

Chapter Two – Pure Corruption

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><p>This world, this, shinobi-infested world was corrupted and vile, the likes of which he underestimated. Everything was shrouded in secrecy and lies. No one trusted anyone, and it sickened him to his core.<p>

He was six now, and his life was already full of so much misery. For one, he was the "Jinchuuriki" of the village. The very name disgusted him. A human sacrifice he was not and his children were not these, these demons the villagers titled them as. He had seen true demons, fought them even, and they were nothing like his children. The very idea of it was complete stupidity. A weapon that was supposed to protect the very people who hated them? Absurdity. Was he truly the only one to see it as such?

On the other hand, he was the barer of the legendary Dojutsu, the Rinnegan. He had known that his eyes would become legend, and that some extremes would worship him as a god, even after his passing, but what actually happened was somewhat… disconcerting. His name was only whispered about, fanatical fables of a man-turned-god who blessed humanity with his divine assistance.

Again, was such absurdity only just that to him?

True, some of the things he had done that lasted to this era seemed impossible, godlike even, but was it truly so hard to believe that he was human? He may refuse to join the shinobi academy, but that didn't mean he was ignorant. The stories Kurama told him before he fell asleep were all he really needed to know that there were people after him that did impossible feats, just like he before them. He himself had witnessed some of the things his youngest son's reincarnation's had done, one Senju Hashirama being one of the major ones. His Mokuton skill was tremendous, and he too was able to do the magnificent.

So why was it so hard for people to believe that he created the moon?

He decided the people of this era were just stupid, plain and simple.

His decision was strengthened by his current situation. His six years old body was sitting in the large seat of the Konoha council chambers, his feet swinging back and forth. This had become a common thing, sitting in the uncomfortable chair, the shinobi discussing shinobi matters, which, in their corrupted minds involved him. The reason for these common meetings?

Uzumaki Naruto, that was his name now, absolutely refused, with a passion as hot as the Will of Fire, to enroll in the shinobi academy. There was nothing anyone could do or say, he would have none of it. He was told about the academy when he first turned six, the Hokage saying how strong he could become if he joined the shinobi ranks. The old Sarutobi expected a giant smile, and childish remarks. What he did not expect was a nasty snort, followed by a dismissive scoff. Apparently, the Hokage had thought he would actually want to be a shinobi.

Preposterous absurdity was what he had to think about that.

The Hokage, an old man named Sarutobi Hiruzen, didn't think anything of the boy's uncharacteristically cold response to the idea of becoming a shinobi, deciding it was just childish stubbornness. That line of thinking, however, changed when he brought the idea up a second time. Where Naruto just dismissed it entirely the first time, he outright refused the second, passionately. He stated that "the shinobi life was a corrupted life" and "he wanted nothing to do with it". Why he was so against the idea was beyond the aged warrior.

After that, the council stepped in, a man named Shimura Danzo demanding that the boy be given to him. There was talk that Danzo could _make _him cooperate. That made Naruto chuckle. He'd like to see the old goat try.

He shook his head, his thoughts turning bitter and somewhat dark. He disliked the thought he got when thinking about shinobi, and the council, but he just couldn't help it. His host tended to take a single emotion and amplify it. He was either really, really happy, or very, very depressed. He had been spending hours meditating, trying to calm his emotions. It had helped a lot, too. Before his last birthday he wanted nothing more than to lash out at anyone who looked at him with scornful eyes. Now though, through meditation and training, he had calmed his mind. He decided that six was an appropriate age for him to begin his physical training. He didn't have muscles or the strength to fight a full-grown adult yet, but he wouldn't get there without starting somewhere.

He rolled his ringed eyes, hearing a very old woman agree with Danzo's idea of forced cooperation. These people really craved the power they thought his eyes had. He hadn't shown them anything yet, but they had very vivid imaginations. He sighed again. They had no idea what his eyes could do. He chuckled to himself; they never would, either.

It was times like these that he missed his wife. She was so outspoken and knew how to handle these types of situations. He never could get a word in, everyone either purposely talking over him or ignoring him completely. If Tsuki were here, she'd scare the living daylights out of them, and then proceed to scold them for their rude behavior. After she was finished, she'd let him say what he needed to say, and most of the time he wouldn't have to because during her rant she would say everything he wanted to begin with. The very thought of his wife brought a smile to his face. Her memory lit the darkness his heart felt for the shinobi world.

When the whispers stopped, his eyes raised, meeting the stares, and glares, of the council, both shinobi and civilian. The Hokage cleared his throat before speaking. "Uzumaki Naruto, I take it that you still refuse to enroll in the shinobi academy?" Naruto nodded. Hiruzen frowned, taking in a deep breath. "I see. That is very… unfortunate." He looked like he was against what he was about to say.

And he did, he was very, very against what he was going to say. Apparently, and this was according to his supposed friend Danzo, he was "jeopardizing the well-being of not just Konohagakure no Sato, but of Hi no Kuni" for not forcing the Jinchuuriki to become a shinobi. The fact that he wasn't doing everything in his power to force the Leaf's Jinchuuriki into the shinobi ranks had "forced" his rival to go straight to the Fire Daimyo. That had surprised Hiruzen, but what came of it was even more so. Apparently, the Daimyo's personal guard had openings that needed to be filled, and hearing that there was a child born in his country that possessed the famed eyes of the great sage had him very eager and interested in claiming him for the Shinobi Guardian Twelve. Nothing was official yet, but Konoha was to expect the Fire Daimyo within six months' time, ready to present the boy.

Naruto just sighed. He knew that Hiruzen, to an extent, cared for him, and wished nothing but the best for him. He also knew that his refusal to become a shinobi had put almost overwhelming stress on the aged man, both from his village and his country. It saddened him that the man had to go through such hardships because of him, but he couldn't relent and take up something so ugly just for the sake of one man. His beliefs were very important to him, they defined him.

Ninjutsu was a perversion of Ninshu, something created for nothing but the sole purpose to take another life. Creating a weapon out of a tool for peace and understanding was the ultimate betrayal. It had made him seriously doubt not only himself, but mankind as a whole. He doubted mankind because, even after gaining peace and understanding, they craved for nothing but war and suffering. It was an eye-opener that he seriously did not want to see.

He doubted himself because, after all of his hard work, his sacrifices, it wasn't enough, it didn't work. Was the way he believed in peace nothing but a naïve dream? Had his belief that humanity could coexist in harmony just a foolish impossibility? That line of thought scared him, not because he wanted to turn his back on humanity, but because of the somewhat terrifying conclusions he would make.

Had his mother been right?

Otsutsuki Kaguya-hime, the princess that ate the God Tree's fruit, his mother, had begun to subtly demand mankind to worship her, ruling over them like a queen, or a goddess. Had she, after bringing peace to the world, seen that humanity was incapable of keeping the peace she had ushered? Had she seen the darkness within their hearts sooner than he? Had she decided that, to save them from themselves, that she'd have to conquer them, inevitably ruling over them?

It terrified him, because where he had never looked at it like that before, it made so much sense.

"In six months," the Hokage began, "The Fire Daimyo will arrive in Konoha. He has requested to meet with you." His voice was solemn. He didn't want Minato's child taken from the village. "Do you understand, Naruto-kun?"

Naruto nodded, not particularly caring who wanted to meet with him. "Hai." He replied.

He knew that this meeting would be used as some way to coax him into joining the shinobi ranks, just like he knew it would be fruitless. He was a priest, a sage. He was not a killer, a shinobi.

"You are free to go then." Hiruzen said. He gained a sad smile when Naruto gave a giant, childish sigh and practically jumped out of his seat, sprinting to the exit, happy to be excused.

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><p>Naruto had never brooded in his previous life, finding it to be an unnecessary use of his facial muscles, but lately, with the council on his back, it became a common occurrence. He didn't hate shinobi, but his general dislike towards the creation, and thereby the corruption, of Ninshu to Ninjutsu made him a little bitter towards anyone who embraced said corruption. It was staggering to believe that there was anything left of the world and the human race after all the warring and conflict brought into existence with the shinobi lifestyle. How boys grew old enough to become men, lovers, husbands, fathers… it was almost miraculous. How girls lived long enough to be women, lovers, wives, mothers… he was sure that it was by the intervention of something divine, because everywhere one looked there was death, pain, despair, destruction, evil. It was heartbreaking. How could <em>his legacy<em>, _his peaceful world_ become something so… so wrong?

Having the majority of the world all but spit in your face and decline the peace you offer was as sad as it was infuriating. Were all of his so called "accomplishments", his "better tomorrow" talk all for not? Had he not given the world his everything? Had he not fought the demons that plagued the world? Had he not fought the tyrants who wished to rule over the weak with an iron fist? Hadn't he brought people to a better way of life?

Had he not fought a god of pure destruction for the simple reason of saving them? He and his otouto almost died, on multiple occasions, to save those who could not fight for themselves. And after all of it, he had decided that, without understanding, they would never live in harmony. So what did he do? He _gave _them that understanding. He shared _his _strength, _his _beliefs with them, hoping that those who couldn't save themselves would no longer have that problem. He had given them equality, and what had they done with it?

They weaponized it. They disfigured it, transforming into a killing tool, into a way to easier hurt others.

It was pure sickness. He had decided that during his fifth year back on this earth. The jutsu these shinobi use was a nasty blight, a plague on the people he once fought so hard for. It would sometimes bring tears to his eyes. Those tears increased when he heard the stories Kurama had. One story in particular had him absolutely sick, and then, absolutely furious.

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><p><em>He lay on his bed, a long day of training his young body making him tired, too tired to even eat anything. He smiled though, because he could never be too tired to speak with his son.<em>

_He closed his eyes, the hate-filled, scornful world disappearing. Within seconds, his purple, ringed eyes were open, like he had never shut them to begin with. He smiled a true, pure smile as he gazed at the towering silhouette. He had gotten used to the bars that kept his son prisoner, already giving his word that, as soon as he had the power, he'd rip the cage apart. He had already told his child that, when his eyes had matured, he would never see a cage again. Ever. _

_That was his word, his promise, not as a child, but as the Rikudo Sennin, as Uzumaki Naruto. _

_The towering silhouette perked at the form before him, leaning down do get as close as possible. They spoke all the time, everyday, as many times as they possibly could, but even then, he couldn't get enough. _

_Kurama smiled. It was a strange thing to most, seeing the most power Bijuu in existence smile in complete happiness, but then again, he wasn't most. He wasn't a stranger, an on-looker, an arrogant fool. "__**Hello, father.**__" Kurama said in a joyful voice, happy to see his father again, even though they had spoken not two hours ago. _

"_Hello, Kurama." Naruto replied. He too had joy in his voice, obviously happy to speak with his son once again. He found that, in a village full of those who hated him, speaking with his son was the one good thing he had. He would never be lonely, not as long as Kurama stayed by his side, stayed on his side. "You promised to tell me the tale of my father." His smile grew. He knew that his father was one of them, a shinobi, but apparently, and this was from his own son's mouth, Namikaze Minato was a pure, strong man who valued love and peace above all else. The Yondaime Hokage had been a man who wished for nothing but peace in a hate-filled world. His wish for peace did not only include Konoha, but that of all the nations, the world. He was a man who had killed many, but dreamt of a time where no one died by another's blade. A hero, a true, selfless hero, who believed his son would be the one to bring the peace he so craved._

_If he only knew how accurate he was…_

"_**While I was sealed within the woman who would become his wife, I only heard whispers of his name, occasionally leaving the tongues of those around her, her own tongue using his name.**__" Kurama began the night's story, incredibly happy that he had this time. He had loved his father, more than his siblings, in his mind. They only had a short time with him, and then, like everything in the world, he was gone, choosing to let humanity live on their own. "__**By the time she became his mate, he already had an incredible reputation.**__" His father had been human, but the mortality of humanity meant nothing to someone with the power that rivaled the very gods that created him. He had been hurt that his father had left him, all alone in a world that saw him as nothing but hatred and a means to power. "__**I wasn't able to hear much, but what I did hear made me almost feel as if… as if he was the one you spoke of that time.**__" He had later decided that his father leaving was a good idea. The way things turned out… it was something that his father would feel heartache for. The world turned his gifts into weapons, and that, in his mind, was the greatest disrespect the world had ever shown. "__**He had been particular popular for his slaughter of an Iwa army…**__"_

"_Slaughter?" Naruto asked in a surprised voice, a frown marring his features. "I thought he was a hero, a peaceful man?" He was a little confused. _

_Kurama chuckled, his deep voice causing the cages that held him to shake. "__**He wished for peace, father.**__" Kurama began. "__**But in a world like this… peace isn't really an actual option.**__" Yes, it was for the better that his father had left, or he would have felt pain, pain and despair that, when he even thought about his father feeling it, made Kurama angry enough to want to destroy the world entirely. "__**There was a war, one of the World Wars these shinobi have caused three times already. To save his people, his home, he had to go against everything he believed, everything he wished for.**__" He had claimed to have hated humanity his entire life, but that was his biggest lie. His father was human, no matter how godlike he was, and when it came to love, his father had every last drop that was in his heart. "__**In seconds, an army, a thousand strong, fell by his blade.**__" _

_Naruto's eyes widened. He may have disliked it, but the mere idea, the mere thought that a man, without his eyes, could kill that many people in seconds was…_

_It was somewhat terrifying. _

"_**He was called a hero, the person who practically ended the war single-handedly.**__" His father deserved to be worshiped, to be put upon a gilded throne for his sacrifices. Instead, he was betrayed, betrayed and forgotten to become nothing but a legend, a fairy tale. It thoroughly angered him beyond belief. "__**I, however, was able to hear his side of things, his take of his "heroic deed" on the warfront.**__"_

_Naruto had sat dawn, crossing his legs, getting comfortable, when his son began to spin his tale. He leaned in, his body already halfway inside the great gates that kept his son prisoner. "How did he feel, son?"_

_Kurama took a second to feel the warm sensation he got in his stomach at being called "son" by the man he considered a father. He knew his father saw him, and all the Bijuu, as his children, but it always felt good to be reminded, reminded that you had a place in someone's heart, that you were loved. "__**The Yondaime Hokage had gone to his wife afterwards, seeking to be consoled after losing one of his students. The pain of that lost obviously hurt him, but he managed to get through it with only shedding a single tear.**__" He wished his father had everything he ever dreamed of, and now that he was back, he would help him with anything and everything he asked of him. His chakra? He considered it his father's anyways, he could have it, all of it. His loyalty? He didn't even have to ask, Kurama was loyal to only one being, and that being was the Rikudo Sennin. His love? He only loved his father; there wasn't room for anyone else. His everything belonged to his father, it always has, and it always will. "__**But when he got around to talking about his "awe-inspiring" slaughter, he had done something my container, your mother, had never seen or heard before.**__" His father may have a different form, but he knew, without a doubt, that this boy was the host of his father, the host of the most powerful man to walk the earth. He was Otsutsuki Hagoromo, no matter what name he took now. "__**He cried. He cried for hours, shaking like a cold infant. He had been sick after what he had done. He was forced to take the lives of a thousand men and women in a matter of seconds, all for the sake of peace for his home.**__"_

_Naruto's heart was heavy, his father becoming something of a personal hero in his mind. They were alike, he and his father. They did what they had to, for the sake of the better. He was only able to better his people, his village, but the fact that he wanted peace for all villages, for all people, it made Naruto proud to be the son of Namikaze Minato. _

_Kurama was silent for a moment, letting his father think. "__**The next day, your mother, Uzumaki Kushina, asked him a certain question that, even I have to admit, was unexpected.**__" This was the answer that had him thinking that maybe, just maybe, this Namikaze Minato was his father's legacy. "__**She asked if he had the chance to take it back, to never have done it, would he take it.**__" It still made him chuckle softly to himself, not that anyone else but his father would know that. "__**And he had said, with a determination as hot as the sun itself, that he would do it over and over again, for eternity even, if he had to. Because, as a shinobi, in the shinobi world, where the darkness prevails, there absolutely had to be a light, a hope that had to do what needed to be done, for the sake of not just one village, but for the sake of all villages. He had believed that, with him sacrificing his soul, his beliefs and killing those shinobi, he had ended the war, the struggle, and hopefully that would save the lives of a hundred thousand. He had believed that, with the deaths of those thousand, and his beliefs, he had helped save all the nations from each other.**__" At first, Kurama saw it as a foolish hero act, but after thinking about it, it made so much sense. _

"_He believed that, if his forfeited his personal peace, he could give peace to others." Tears ran down his small face. "He was a hero." His voice was full of raw emotion. _

_The pain, the sacrifice his father had to make because it was the only thing he could do in this dark, twisted shinobi world made him sick. _

_And then, it made him furious. _

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><p>Naruto sighed, kicking a small rock with his foot as he walked to his home. He really disliked the council because, not only were they shinobi, but they had forced his father to make those hard decisions. It was the only way he could think of helping bring peace to the nations, and even though it was through the blood of thousands, Naruto had commended his father. It was no easy task. The shinobi world saw to that.<p>

He kept walking, his ringed eyes watching the burnt orange sky above him. He, and he blamed his host for this completely, had an odd obsession with the color orange. He had almost bought this absolutely horrid orange jumpsuit, and his only reasons were that he really, really liked it. He had found himself doing that every so often. He would have these strange and very random instances of complete childish behavior or thoughts. Like, for instance, his desire to prank everyone who had even ever looked at him funny. He then would have to stop, take a deep breath, and remind himself that he was not the adult he thought he was. His body was still that of a six year old, and no matter how old his soul was, he was still, technically, six.

He sighed. Oh the struggles of being an all-powerful being reincarnated into an era that descended from his own by a little more than a thousand years…

That kind of made him chuckle. The mere thought was so absurd, unbelievable even, but nevertheless true.

He spotted the rundown, aged building he called a home, causing him to sigh once again, shaking his head. His father had been the Yondaime Hokage; a man treasured by all of Hi no Kuni… so why was he living in a dump idiots liked to call an apartment? He was beginning to think that everyone in Konoha was blind, because there was no way the _entire _village was _that _stupid.

He opened his door, not bothering to lock it. No one even wanted anything to do with him in the streets, why would they want to break into his "home".

That manner of thought was crushed when, sitting at his makeshift kitchen table, was someone who hadn't been invited in. The older child turned to face him, his dark, onyx eyes meeting his ocean blues.

"Uzumaki Naruto," the boy with the shoulder length, black hair began, "I know who you are."

Naruto was silent for a moment, and then, his face looked as if he had eaten something too sour.

"Eh?"

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><p><strong>Author's Note's:<strong>

**A lot of people wanted to know what way this fic was going to branch off in. Well, now you know. **

**This story was just an idea of mine, a thought that wouldn't leave me alone. I may not even continue it unless it is the will of the people. Honestly, I'm super sick right now and have a ton load of family issues to deal with. My life is by no means back to normal, so updates, on this and Hero or Monster will be slow. **

**Give me feedback. Do you like it? Do you hate it? Should I continue? Because if you don't, I will most likely stop updating it. **


	3. Glorified Jester

**Author's Note's:**

**It seems people actually like this idea, so I guess I'll keep at it. **

**A few announcements: **

**I recently ran into a HUGE writers block for Hero or Monster, but do not worry, I seem to have pushed through it. A friend of mine, ILikeReading1 asked me where my motivation to start writing it again came from. At the time I didn't know, but I think I do now. My mother, who's had a pretty rough time lately, just recently (like a couple days ago) started reading my fic's. Isn't that crazy? She is not a Naruto fan, or Anime/Manga fan in general, but she wanted to support me in any way she could find, and she know's how passionate I am with writing. So thanks mom (I know you're reading this), your desire to free yourself from the darkness that plagued us for so long is monumental to my drive to better myself. **

**Now, concerning the story. I have a pairing idea (that is unique to this story), and I hope everyone likes it. It's literally the only pairing I could do and feel okay with. It's not an OC, but in a way it is. This is all I'm saying for now.**

**I'd also like to thank E.S. Postluminus for his hand in the ideas of this fic. He said to have Hagoromo question his beliefs, his previous life. So thanks man, it helped a lot.**

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><p>Bringer of Peace<p>

Chapter Three - Glorified Jester

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><p><em>What he was witnessing was, in its most simplistic form, impossible. <em>

_He had been assigned to the boy two months ago, and ever since then, he knew that there was something different about Uzumaki Naruto. _

_Yes, his Rinnegan eyes were out of the norm, the Sage's eyes should only have ever belonged to the Sage, but that was in fact not the reason he believed the blond was different. His whisker-like birthmarks, while also not of the norm, where not why he thought something was different about the child. No, these things were just physical, and he was fond of looking underneath the underneath. He found that, by finding what lay behind what was obvious; one could truly see the colors of another individual. _

_Uzumaki Naruto was different because, no matter how much he watched, no matter how much he tried to learn, he could not figure the blond out. No child, not even himself at that age, walked with that much… almost palpable, non-arrogant pride and confidence. Each step the boy took seemed to have purpose, like everything was important, every breath, every blink of the eye, everything. It was slightly hypnotizing, addicting, and so very absurd. Naruto was a six year old boy. He shouldn't have the presence that outshined the Hokage. Yet, here he was, almost instinctively watching over his charge, not because he was ordered to, but that it was the right thing to do, the only thing to do._

_That's what led him here, in a very remote part of the village that was full of tree and bush, hidden away from the eyes of others. He was an ANBU operative, he was expected to know every inch of the village, and yet there still existed a place he had never seen. The person he was sworn to protect sat on the grassy ground, his purple, ringed eyes closed in intense concentration. He watched as the village Jinchuuriki – that's what the people called him – brought his left hand up. He watched through crimson eyes as, with a sudden spike of chakra, the boy's left hand lit up in a red flame. The red was small in amount, but with his eyes he was able to decipher what it was. The red flame was pure, clean Yin chakra, the likes of which should have been impossible to not only create, but manipulate at all. _

_The small flame died down like a candle in the wind, receiving an irritated sigh from its creator. Concentrating again, this time raising his right hand, just like before, his hand lit into flame, this time blue. He was able to see it for what it was as well. The blue flame was Yang chakra. And just like the time before, the flame died out, eliciting a small pout from the boy. _

_He wasn't very close to the blond, so when he began to speak to himself – who else could he have been talking to? – He couldn't hear what was being said. He was only able to catch two words that left the boy's mouth. _

_Normally, two words wouldn't be very significant at all. Two words couldn't make up an entire sentence, or properly explain a situation, or do much of anything, really. Two words, whispered into existence shouldn't have had such weight, such magnitude as the ones that left his charges tongue. It was like they held power that no sentence, no actual complex speech could ever carry. _

_His heart stopped when he heard these two words, these two living expressions. He couldn't be for sure; after all, it was an absolutely absurd, ridiculous theory. Such tales were that of children's stories, the kind that parents told before bed. He may be young, the youngest since the legend that is Hatake Kakashi, but he was no innocent, ignorant child. He prided himself on knowing history, and not only that of his village, but of the world. His insight, his "bigger picture" didn't just include Konohagakure. He knew his village was just as guilty of the horrendous monstrosities shinobi tend to force upon others. It was all in the name of "peace" and "patriotic duty", but to what end? _

_He was able to study the histories of the world, able to see both sides of the conflict, and what he saw scarred him. He had been traumatized with the horrors of the Third Shinobi World War. And contrary to his family's beliefs, it wasn't just because of the casualties of the Konoha-born. The mangled, shredded bodies of the enemies brought back as trophies and claims to fame through conquest were just as bad. The men they brought back were someone's son, someone's family. The women were someone's daughter, someone's kin._

_It hurt his heart just as bad to see their lifeless corpses. That had been when he decided. He had come to the conclusion that, even if many would disagree, peace would be impossible for the shinobi world. _

_War, famine, death, lust, gluttony, greed, these were only a few of the things that the shinobi world caused on a daily bases, and no one short of the Rikudo Sennin himself could change all of that. _

_He himself was a prime example of how cruel and ugly the shinobi world was. He was a pacifist, a loving child who wanted nothing but peace and understanding. Yet, he was cursed with prodigious talent for the shinobi arts. He was cursed with the ability to take lives with ease an experienced veteran had at an early age. He had advanced through the shinobi ranks faster than any of his generation, rivaled only by his best friend, his brother-figure. His body was almost tailored for the life of an assassin, the life of a killer, a murderer. He hated his so called talents, his so called genius. _

_He had thought that nothing would change. The cycle of hatred he knew existed would continue in a never ending loop forever as long as shinobi ruled the nations. _

_But when he heard those two words leave the blond, Rinnegan-wielding boy's mouth, he suddenly had hope once again. He suddenly felt as if the never ending cycle of hatred, the never ending bloodshed shinobi brought upon the world like a plague could end. _

_He needed to know more. He needed to study, to be absolutely positive before he confronted this. _

_Those two words were all it took for the weasel-masked ANBU operative to regain his hope for the world. _

_He would forever remember those two words that he was able to hear._

"_Banbutsu Sozo…"_

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><p>"After studying the Uchiha documents, what little we still have of you, I had my answer, my confirmation." Uchiha Itachi said. He was sitting with the blond, a cup of steaming tea in his hands. "You are the Rikudo Sennin. I know you are." He paused, his eyes akin to desperation. "You have to be."<p>

Naruto stared at one of his eldest son's descendants, a stoic, almost cold expression on his face. He allowed the boy to speak, wanting to hear what absurd acquisition he had come up with. Now, however, he was a little surprised. He never thought that someone, anyone, could share his thoughts on the shinobi world. This boy, this Uchiha Itachi, was just like his father, just like Namikaze Minato: a single, solitary light that shined in the darkness that was the shinobi world.

"And if I was this man, the Sage reincarnated what would you have me do?" He asked. He was curious.

Itachi wore his stoic expression, his onyx eyes never leaving the purple ones. He was silent, thinking over his answer carefully. He then sighed. "What I want does not matter." Naruto raised a curious eyebrow. "What the _world_ _needs_ is someone to save it from this curse."

Naruto smirked. "And what is this so called curse that the world desperately needs saving from?" He asked, already knowing the answer.

"Shinobi," Itachi answered without pause, "What the world needs to be saved from is shinobi."

Naruto smiled. He stood and crossed the distance to Itachi. He put a small hand on the boy's shoulder and nodded. "Okay," he began, "You are right." He admitted. "I am the person you believe me to be." Itachi's heart felt lighter the second that sentence left his mouth, even though he had known for weeks. "And I will save this world from the shinobi who plague it," he smirked, "On one condition." Itachi looked at the blond in confusion. He would only save the planet on a condition? Was this truly the Rikudo Sennin? "You help me save it." Naruto finished. Itachi's face went back to its normal stoic expression, until a rare smirk crossed his face.

He nodded. "Hai, Sennin-sama" Itachi replied.

Two of the world's most peaceful men had just joined forces, ready to start their mission. Whether it be world peace, or world domination, still remained to be seen, for neither knew what would truly save it. But they would figure it out, together.

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><p>Naruto had just recently turned seven.<p>

It had been six months since he and Itachi met, and a lot had happened since then. One of the biggest changes was the fact that Naruto no longer looked at ninjutsu as a hideous disfigurement. Itachi had made sure of that.

Apparently, the godlike man – or was he a child? – judged the "ninja techniques" too soon. He only had a basic knowledge of ninjutsu, and while refusing to join the academy was, at least in his mind, a smart idea, he had limited his learning ability. Itachi decided to correct that, teaching him everything there was to know about the art of shinobi techniques. Apparently, and this had even brought a small smile to his face, there was the creation of Iryo Ninjutsu (Medical Ninjutsu). Itachi explained it as a branch of ninjutsu that was associated with healing, something used by "medical-nin". That had been the day he had decided that it wasn't ninjutsu that was corrupt, it was the shinobi that used it. Ninjutsu was just an inevitable evolution, a secondary means of understanding the world – a lesser, more complicated and confusing means, but a means nonetheless. Itachi had helped him look at it in a more logical, albeit somewhat figurative, way. He started to look at ninjutsu as the assassin's blade, not the assassin. It was the effect, not the cause, and he was a little embarrassed that he hadn't seen it from the beginning. With his logic, the Jinchuuriki – oh he still very much _loathed _that title – were the Bijuu they housed, not separate, sentient beings of life.

That line of thought caused him to sigh. He really needed to start his journey. He missed the rest of his children, and even though they didn't know he was back amongst them, they were still waiting for him, waiting to be saved, ready to be freed.

"It's not going to be that bad, kid." The ANBU – he had called them the zoo, a fitting name for such a ridiculous organization – that was wearing a white, porcelain mask that some would say resembled a cat. He huffed. This situation was all wrong.

He hadn't sighed for his current dilemma, nor had he huffed for her try at relaxing him – if it could be called that. He had sighed because he missed his caged, imprisoned, mistreated, misunderstood, beautiful children. And he huffed because there was no way in hell that this purple-haired lady's mask resembled a cat. And if anyone claimed he lacked imagination he would promptly point to the sky, shouting "I created the one thing that was direly needed for the night time… the moon, you moronic mortal!".

Of course, he would never say that. For one, he, no matter how powerful he knew he was, considered himself human, even though human and mortal meant two very different things. If he were to imply that he was not mortal, the mortals would title him as something divine, something not human, and that would do nothing but upset him. Another reason was that he wasn't a hateful, brash person. He would never take his irritation out on another, no matter how good it sounded. He was a priest, a sage, he needed to have self-control les he wanted to accidently lash out at someone and end an innocent life.

"I know, Neko-san." Naruto replied. He wasn't at all nervous or anxious about this so called "great meeting". The Fire Daimyo was just another ordinary, unimpressive man before the first human born able to wield chakra. It wasn't arrogance or cockiness that made him see it as so, it was fact. He didn't look down on people because he chose to, but what else was a giant supposed to do with mice?

Neko didn't reply, not that it mattered to him much, and the two walked in a comfortable silence.

The "ANBU operative" – such an official-sounding title – came to him a little over four minutes ago. Apparently, the Fire Daimyo had finally decided to grace Konohagakure no Sato with his presence and Naruto had to drop everything he was doing – which was speaking with his only friend of this era, Uchiha Itachi, in his home – and show up for some meeting that was supposed to "decide the fate of his shinobi career". He never before thought the people of the village were so stupid. They actually believed they could _force _him to do _anything_. The very thought made him scoff. He hadn't been sitting around, idly chit-chatting with Itachi for six months. He had been training, growing stronger, both physically and spiritually. His eyes were maturing much faster than they had in his first life. Whether that was due to his past experience or his new body's almost scary compatibly with just about everything. He had discovered – and this had really shocked him – that his new body was even more compatible with his children than his past body was. His chakra and very soul could resonate with Bijuu chakra. It was spectacular; he could be with his children on a level they couldn't reach before. Once they were back with him, safe and sound, they would enter that plain of existence together.

"We are here, Uzumaki-san." Neko announced when they came to the Hokage Tower that stood next to the shinobi academy. "You may enter; they have been waiting for you." She said. She bowed her head a little, a polite gesture that surprised him. Most people disliked him for what was inside him, to find one that was not blind was refreshing.

"Hai," he returned the gesture, nodding his head, "Thank you, Neko-san." With one last nod, the cat-faced operative vanished in a swirl of wind and leaves.

Naruto sighed, pushing the door of the tower open, taking a step into the building with slight annoyance. This was a waste of his time. He had no interest in shinobi matters, or politics for that matter, and he wasn't going to forsake his beliefs after one little insignificant meeting with one little insignificant man. These people saw themselves as much more than they actually were. They were not the kings of the land, the "top dogs" of the world. What they _were_ were corrupt thinkers, men – if they could be called as such – and women who preyed on the weak and shrouded the world with darkness and misery.

He took a deep breath, ridding his mind of such bitter, resent-filled thoughts. He took his second step in the building, and then a third, a fourth and so on and so forth. He walked in a leisurely pace, making his way through the building to where he knew these so called "high-ranking officials" waited for him.

He couldn't help but wonder if these people thought they knew even a fraction of the power he possessed, would they still act as if they owned him? Would they still walk around as if he belonged to them, and his life could, and would, be decided by their hand? It was almost so amusing that he thought about showing them, showing them the true, raw power his eyes possessed.

He knew what the plan for today was, but he disliked it. He wasn't fond of deceit or secrecy unless it was for the actual greater good – his identity being one of those times – and he knew that this was in fact another one of those instances, but he still disliked. It was, however, crucial to their plan, and he would _not _risk his children's happiness over his own beliefs. That was something he would not do: his children came first, no exceptions.

That, too, made him smile. He was in fact his father's child.

He turned a corner, his famed eyes roaming the hall before him. The walls were a tannish-white, the floor brown, and the lights an almost yellow. All in all it was an average hallway, decorated with pictures of famous ninja that had sacrificed their lives – and the lives of others, he might add – to save their village. He shook his head. His father had been the one case, the one exception where bloodshed had been the right, and only, way to peace. There were no other alternatives for him, and he hadn't been proud of the massacre he was praised for. It was an ugly, heartbreaking necessity, one not made without proper thought of all other options.

He came to a stop at a large, ornate door. He took a moment to calm his mind, readying himself, before knocking.

He waited a few moments before the door opened, a man with gruff features, shoulder length, black hair and an unlit cigarette within his mouth greeting him. "Oh, so you're Uzumaki Naruto." The man said neutrally. "Daimyo-sama, the boy is here." The man who was wearing what looked to be either civilian clothes or really unprotected shinobi gear said. As he turned, Naruto caught sight of the white cloth that hung from his waist with the kanji for fire on it.

"Asuma-san, let the boy in." A voice from inside the room called out.

The newly named Asuma gave a sheepish expression, turning so that Naruto could actually enter. "Sorry about that, kid." Asuma apologized. Naruto just nodded, not really giving the thought that someone literally a thousand years younger than him called him a "kid".

Entering the room, Naruto was greeted by multiple eyes of every color. The usually large meeting room looked small with all the people who crowded it, attending only to see the "Rinnegan child". That's what people began calling him, like he was nothing but the worth of his eyes. Shinobi tended to only crave power, not the force that harnessed said power. If someone had something that you wanted, you took it from them, as was the norm for the shinobi world. It was filthy, and sickening.

"Naruto-kun." The Hokage greeted the boy with a small, sad smile, not looking forward to the coming storm of conversations.

Naruto nodded back, a small smile of his own on his face. That was another thing that changed during the six months. He had gotten closer to the Hokage, which, in hindsight was a very strange thing. The Hokage was a leader of the very thing he despised, shinobi. Not only did he lead them, he was in fact one of them, an old one that had committed the very dark acts that hurt his heart. But, there was something different about the Sandaime as well. He wished for peace, but not out of innate pureness, but out of painful experience. He had seen with his very eyes, done with his very hands, the deeds that fueled the circle of hatred. He was tired, tired of all the hate, all the loss. Sarutobi Hiruzen wanted peace.

Unfortunately, the shinobi world they lived in would have none of that talk.

"So this is the child, is it?" An old, unimpressive man asked in a shrill voice. "Ah! I see the famed eyes!" He squealed in childish delight. "Tell me child, what do you think about your own gift from the gods?" He asked, his voice somewhat annoying and displeasing to the ears. He wore the robes of the Fire Daimyo, the ruler of Hi no Kuni. Even the "great" Konohagakure no Sato belonged to him, so, in the shinobi world, he was a powerful figure. It was just as absurd as the thought of people who were treated harshly obeying every word of the very people who despised them. He was a man with about as much prowess as a child, yet he was called powerful. He relied on the strength of others, yet he was called a king. No, he was no king. He had met actual kings, good and bad. King's fought, they conquered.

Naruto chuckled. This Fire Daimyo was more like the court jester, a comical joke of a man.

"I value my eyes, but I do not think they make me anything more than any other person." His eyes gave him the power to fall nations in a blink – he was reminded of his father – and make it look like child's play. He could literally, if he so chose, destroy the entire planet – or enslave it for that matter – with a single blink, or at least he could before he departed. Of course, he'd have to train more, mature his eyes more, before he could amount to that once again, but it was only a matter of time.

The so called "powerful" man jumped up in his luxurious chair a little – like that of a _child_ seeing a toy they wished to have – and giggled. "Ah, such a humble boy!" he finally shouted. He giggled some more again, before finally asking another question. "And why, oh humble child, do you see yourself that way?" He asked in utter excitement.

When the creator of ninshu had originally walked the earth, he had never been a selfish man. He was always fair, even if he had the power not to be. He believed that if you abused the power that you had, corruption would take ahold of you. Arrogance and a lust for even more power was all that waited at the end of that tunnel. And your inevitable downfall would come soon after. Even now, in this era where selfishness and abusing ones power was the status quo, he kept his beliefs strong. Seeing himself as better than another human being was a catalyst, a path that led to the practices of the shinobi ways. In this way of thought, the answer was so very simple.

"I do not wish to become like you," he said, receiving a confused look from the Daimyo, "A greedy, lustful man who cares for nothing but power." He answered honestly.

Another man wearing expensive-looking robes shot to his feet, a seer on his face. "How dare you!" he shouted, taking a breath to scream again. He was stopped, however, when the Daimyo raised his hand, cutting the man short.

"Ah, Michi-san, please, let the boy speak his mind." He then began to giggle again. "Please, do elaborate, Naruto-kun." He gestured with his hand, rather extravagantly, to continue.

Naruto sighed. He was confused with the man's odd behavior. He further explained nevertheless. "If history has proven anything," besides that humanity cannot keep peace, "is that every king has fallen, every grand nation has crumbled, sooner or later." The Fire Daimyo nodded, signaling that he understood so far. "The reason for this is simplistic in nature, but it is always the truth, always the reason." Again, the Daimyo nodded, allowing him to continue. "At some point, either the nation, or the king, or both, begin to crave more. What they have begins to become not enough, and that is the genesis of their downfall." The man who he was summoned to speak with took a moment, thinking his words over, before nodding. "The lust, the want for more, even though what was was perfectly enough, is the spark that always sends the "great kingdoms" into oblivion."

The Fire Daimyo giggled, and Naruto decided that he rather disliked the shrill noise. "Ah, so you base your humbleness on the historic theory that "hunger" falls kings?" He giggled again, giving him a look that made him a little uncomfortable. "Are you implying that you are a king, Naruto-kun?" He asked in a high, pitchy voice that said he thought he just spoke a hook, line, and sinker.

Naruto sighed. "It is the very reason you believe I see myself as a king that I do not wish to be like you." He replied. The man gave him a questioning look, so he explained further. "Your power hungry mind looks for more power, weather in be in the physical world, or even in speech patterns, you look for it, even if it is on a subconscious level." He didn't care that he was supposed to be a seven year old right now, this conversation, no matter how much he would like to deny it, would decide his future. "I hadn't implied, even in the slightest that I see myself as a king."

"But your reasoning behind your answer was that a king, or nation, falls for its lust for more. How can't you see why it would seem…"

He was stopped when he saw the blond-haired boy shake his head, chuckling. "That's just it; you took my example at face-value. You didn't even try to understand the true meaning behind it." He sighed. "The meaning wasn't to compare myself to a king, but to explain to a man who sees himself as king that his craving for power that doesn't belong to him could be the end of him."

Michi, the stout man that stood and yelled at him before, once again stood, pointing an accusing finger at him. "Is that a threat, _boy_?" He shouted. He then turned to the Hokage. "Hokage-dono, you should tighten the leash around your _pet_, before he pushes his luck." Hiruzen narrowed his eyes, angry at the fact that he could do nothing for the man's hateful, distasteful words.

Leash. That was a snide remark that referred to his son, his caged, imprisoned, hurt son. That was another word that he absolutely _loathed_. He was so upset that he couldn't do anything but chuckle. He chuckled at the fact that he could end the man's life, even with his power not at its complete strength, and how very easy it would be. He chuckled at the fact that, once his children were with him, they would help him decide the _fate of everyone_. He also chuckled at the fact that he was not a man – or child – that killed because he was offended verbally.

"Daimyo," Naruto began, not bothering with adding any form of honorific. "This meeting was to discuss something you wanted to propose, right?" He asked, suggesting that he wanted the conversation to be over as quickly as possible.

After getting over the shock of the boy's words, which actually made sense, he went back to his annoying self. "Ah, yes," he giggled, "Naruto-kun, I understand that you do not wish to join the shinobi academy in Konoha." Naruto gave a short nod, allowing the man to continue. "Ah, yes, well," he began, "I would like to formally invite you to join…"

Naruto held up a hand, stopping the man. "Whatever you are offering, I respectably decline." He said. Hiruzen sighed; he knew this was going to happen. "I've actually decided to become a shinobi." He stated, causing the Hokage's eyes to widen. Naruto turned to the aged Sarutobi. "Hokage-sama," he added the honorific, knowing that it wouldn't really bother the Daimyo, but Michi. "I will join the shinobi ranks, on one condition." He held up a single finger.

Hiruzen blinked a few times before clearing his throat. "And what is the condition, Naruto-kun?" He asked.

The Fire Daimyo was speechless, hanging his head down to pout childishly for not getting what he wanted. No matter how much power he figuratively possessed, he could not _force _a person born in Konoha to join his bodyguard's. It was the one rule he _had _to follow. He wasn't a fool – which would have shocked anyone that had ever met him – he knew how the deal with "his" shinobi village worked. They _let _him make it look like he was the top dog if he provided them with proper funds. In return, they'd protect him and his capital, a win-win for everyone. So now that the boy was crying shinobi, he no longer was able to claim him.

Naruto smirked before answering the question with a name. "Uchiha Itachi." Naruto began. "I will become a shinobi as long as Uchiha Itachi is my sensei." Yes, he very much disliked deceit.

Hiruzen was silent for a moment, his analytical mind going through multiple scenarios at the speed that would make a Nara blush. After a good minute of thinking, he asked his question. "And why do you specifically request Uchiha Itachi?" He knew that Itachi was one of his most loyal, not to mention talented, operatives, but the whole Uchiha crisis caused his old, tired mind to be wary.

Naruto took in a deep breath, closing his eyes. _This_ change that occurred within the last six months had surprised him the most.

While sparing with Itachi, he asked to see the young ANBU's dojutsu, knowing it to be a power Indra was born with. He knew it to be a power of darkness. To gain the awesome abilities the Sharingan was capable of, one had to suffer much loss.

Itachi, like always, did as he was asked, and activated the curse of his clan. The moment the purple, ringed Rinnegan eyes met the crimson, three tomoe Sharingan, something within the blond, awoke.

A sharp, breathtaking pain had overtaken Naruto, and his eyes burned like the sun. The pain lasted only for a second, and when he had finally been able to open his eyes, Itachi had dropped to his knees, his arms going limp, and tears falling from his now black orbs. When Naruto had opened his eyes, Itachi had seen the, in a single word, impossible.

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><p><strong>Author's Note's:<strong>

**Cliffhanger said what?**


	4. Humanity

**Author's Note's:**

**First of all, I'd like to thank Pheonixblade. He's sort of my unofficial beta. Thanks man, It really helps.**

**This chapter was finished (roughly 3,000 words) all last night, before that there was only 2,000 words written. If there are mistakes that neither I nor the incredibly awesome Pheonixblade have caught, well... we tried. **

**This was a very fun chapter to write, and I hope it's just as fun to read. It's not really hard to figure it out, but the pairing in this story is sort of hinted at during the little history lesson. Let's see how many people can guess it, and how many people can guess the actual reasoning I chose this particular pairing. **

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><p>Bringer of Peace<p>

Chapter Four – Humanity

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><p>The world had only seen these eyes twice before, and each time, the world feared their wielder.<p>

With these eyes, the mountains would move when told to move. With these eyes, the waters would part when told to part. With these eyes, the gods themselves shook in fear. All these things were true when these eyes gazed upon the mortal world.

Naruto opened his eyes.

The occupants of the room stood, their shock written all over their faces, their minds a jumbled mess.

Silence.

The Rinnegan, the Samsara Eyes, were said to be the greatest of all dojutsu, the most powerful eyes to ever exist. This, however, was not the case.

"W-what trickery is this?!" Michi, a man Naruto began to believe was good for nothing but annoying him, shouted.

Staring back at the self-proclaimed "kings of the country", a Rinnegan with nine tomoe sitting on its rings, three per ripple, held amusement. "Uchiha Itachi is my friend, and I need to be taught how to use the Sharingan." His voice held his amusement, but just barely.

They Rinne Sharingan had returned and they obeyed Uzumaki Naruto now. The eyes of god stared back at mere men, mere mortals. A true king was amongst the peasants, not that he saw it as that. He was just a man – a boy. A virtually indestructible, immortal, omnipotent man, but a man nonetheless.

"The devils hands have been busy…" The daimyo whispered, his entire body feeling numb at seeing… what was it he was seeing?

"That is my condition, Hokage-sama." Naruto continued. "Uchiha Itachi – no one else."

Having to learn how to "use the Sharingan" was a little white lie that was necessary, but it still was something that he very much disliked. He was a man of his word, lying and secrecy was an annoying fact of life in this era, a fact that even he could not avoid. He was doing it for the betterment of the world, of his children and family, but it still made him uncomfortable. That he was apparently good enough to lie straight to the faces of trained shinobi was as disconcerting as it was comical.

In his past life, his third eye held the Rinne Sharingan, and he was very capable of using its abilities, having created his son's greatest technique, but chose not to rely on them. They were not a power to be used without caution. He was a firm believer that abuse of power led to arrogance and the downfall of more humans than he was willing to admit.

Hiruzen gulped, shaking his head to clear his mind. The eyes he was looking at… they were… not of this world. "H-Hai, Naruto-kun," the Sandaime began, "I agree to your terms…" He signaled someone unknown with his left hand, his fingers forming strange signs. In less than two seconds and a blink of an eye, someone from the zoo was at the aged man's side. As he began to speak with the operative silently, the blond let the tomoe that sat on the rings of his Rinnegan fade, not needing _those _eyes. Those eyes… they were…

They were meant for domination, absolute, inescapable world domination.

A chill ran down his back, and his heart suddenly felt heavy.

He might have to use those eyes for this incorrigible shinobi world, and that was almost too much weight for his already heavy shoulders.

The way things were looking, absolute subjugation through massive amounts of subterfuge and, for lack of a better word, bullying, was the only way to save the world from its worst enemy.

Humanity.

* * *

><p>Naruto panted. His small, child body was not use to such physical workouts. Itachi was currently pushing his body to the absolute limits. If he wasn't a "Jinchuuriki" and an Uzumaki to boot – which apparently made him an endurance monster – he probably would have collapsed by now from fatigue. Taijutsu was what this era dubbed martial arts or "the optimization of natural human abilities". By accessing ones physical and mental energies, which relied heavily on stamina and strength gained through vigorous training, one could execute "Body Techniques".<p>

Naruto had never really trained his previous body in martial arts, not having to rely on his own body too much when it came to his battles. His eyes were always more than enough to get the job done. Itachi, however, convinced him that in a world where people could move faster than sound and demolish mountains with a single punch – he was sure that Senju Tsunade was Tsuki's descendent – that having knowledge and experience with taijutsu would come in handy. He was no longer in a world where the very whisper of his name sent the Shinigami himself running in fear. He was someone else, in a very different world. He would have to show the world who he was, gain that incredible status once again.

That thought caused him to chuckle softly. He had sent kings fleeing, tyrants and pirates alike scurrying, and the gods themselves kept their distance. He was not an overly proud man, or arrogant in any meaning of the word, but even he had to admit that he was a man both respected and feared by the entire world. It was somewhat annoying that he was seen as nothing but a child now. Ah well. He'd just have to remind the kings, the tyrants, the pirates and gods who he was, and why he was not a man to be trifled with. He would save the world. He would save his children. He would do all these things, he swore. He was Uzumaki Naruto, the Rikudo Sennin, and he never broke his promises.

So here he was practicing the god-awful kata Itachi said was perfect for him. Apparently, Itachi had a sense of humor, because naming the tailor-made taijutsu the "Sennin no Mai" was just too much for it not to be a crack at him.

"Sennin-sama," Itachi suddenly said, stopping the light spar, "Let's take a break."

Naruto sighed, thankful for the much needed break. He was a stamina tank, but he was still seven. He took a seat on the ground, his eyes gazing at the moon, which was slowly rising as the sun was setting. It was a beautiful sight, and Naruto decided to share it. "Itachi," he began, "Sit with me, little dragon." That was something he started calling Itachi, little dragon. He was an Uchiha, a fire breather. They were a clan of powerful, mighty dragons, their hearts ablaze with the "Will of Fire" he's heard so much about. Itachi had spoken about "the Curse of Hatred", something that seemed to plague the clan. Naruto had immediately dismissed that theory. There was no such thing as a curse of hatred. It wasn't possible, since, even as individuals, the Uchiha were the most loving people the world had ever seen. They were his descendants, and he refused to believe that his children – the Senju _and _Uchiha – were _born _with hatred. Hatred was akin to a parasite. It needed a living host, and would continue to derive nutrients at the host's expense. No, the Uchiha were not born hateful, they just had the unfortunate capability of loving with _all _of their hearts, not just a part of it. Once that love was lost or taken from them, love would become hate, and hate would cometh the fall of the hateful.

Itachi didn't move for a moment, until he gave a small smile and did as he was told. He knew what was coming. This was what the young Uchiha waited for, craved for. He loved history, of any kind, and what better history was there than the history of the Rikudo Sennin? After long training sessions, Naruto would thank him with a tale that would blow the Uchiha's mind. The life of the Sage of Six Paths was by far the most amazing fable. Every memory held such importance. His every step molded the world, changed it, and with every word the blond held his attention, every wave of his hand surprising him, being so captured by the stories being told. The words that left the tongue of the younger boy held more value than gold, than village secrets, than everything.

They were in a smaller training ground, an Uchiha-owned one that only Itachi every used. They had been there for hours already, and it had been like that since the meeting with the Fire Daimyo a week ago. He was "becoming a shinobi", and Itachi was his personal sensei. It was uncommon for shinobi to be given this type of attention before they even became a genin, but not unheard of. Most of the times this happened, though, was through a family member who was already in the shinobi ranks. But when you possess a Rinnegan, and a new form of Sharingan to boot, you got certain advantages. Yes, he was training in certain shinobi fields, but he was not going to actually become a shinobi. He would not sink into the corruption that followed said lifestyle.

Itachi moved with purpose, lying down next to the person he called friend, eager to listen. And listen he did.

"Tsukuyomi," Naruto began, "Was the most beautiful goddess I have ever laid eyes on."

That one sentence caused the stoic, calm Uchiha to shoot up-right, eyes wide. "Y-you met the moon goddess?" He asked in shock.

Naruto chuckled. His eyes closed, a look of pleasant reminisces on his face. "I didn't just meet her, my little dragon," Naruto began, smirking. This would be amusing, he decided. "I married her, and she mothered my children."

Itachi froze.

* * *

><p><em>Two figures walked side-by-side, their long, white kimonos flirting with the earth they walked on. To the right, a tall man with shoulder-length, pale-red hair stood – a black, dual-headed shakujo in his right hand, one end with the typical ringed hoop, the other a crescent shaped curve. His back was decorated with a large red Rinnegan-like marking with a pattern of nine red magatama arranged in three rows of three beneath it. He walked with near hypnotizing purpose, and the very air around him seemed cleaner, purer.<em>

_To the left, a similarly tall man with long, white hair stood – a sheathed sword on his hip and a shakujo in his left hand. His every step was that of a noble, the very ground under his feet almost thankful to be stepped on. _

_The two young men walked towards the fiery sun, their minds made. They were needed in the northeast, so that's where they were headed. _

_The two walked in the most comfortable silence, the very surrounding nature seeming to silence in their presence, not out of fear, but out of respect. They wore stoic expressions, walking calmly to their destination. They had been walking before the sun began to rise, and they would most likely be walking long after it sets. There was work to be done, and it was of great importance._

_Suddenly, they both stopped, feeling it before it actually appeared. A bright, incredibly powerful light shot down from the sky. It hit the earth, and didn't disappear for a good five seconds. The earth was torn apart from the blast, and shook from its force. The impact was hard enough to disturb the almost religious silence nature was showing the two figures. _

_As the light faded, and the silence began to return, the long-haired man spoke, his very voice carrying more elegance and nobility than ten kings. "Ah, nii-san, it looks like they've sent another." Neither moved, nor even bothered to pay attention to the form that had come from the extremely powerful light, seemingly from the heavens._

"_It would seem so." The second man sighed. He was a man of peace, and his brother was no different, why couldn't they see that? He actually looked sad, like it hurt him. _

_The man with long, white hair was the first to meet the eyes of the newcomer. Her lavender eyes met his featureless white orbs. He glanced at his brother, noticing the saddened look on his face and narrowed his eyes, turning back to the intruder. His brother was a great man, someone who healed and asked for nothing, someone who gave and never took, he was a bringer of peace, and the fact that these arrogant, asinine, egotistical pests couldn't see that somewhat angered him. _

_A form came from the light, a woman, with light blonde hair and lavender eyes, garbed in a white kimono, similar to theirs. She was nowhere as tall as either of them, but the aura she radiated was no less palpable. An aura of superiority the likes of which almost seemed to surpass the furious look on her otherwise breathtakingly beautiful features had the short-haired man most curious. _

_She looked at him – the short-haired man – and snarled. Her lavender eyes met his purple, ringed eyes that gave him powers he wasn't supposed to poses. He was mortal, a no-function but to destroy human, and her and her people were not happy that such prowess was given to one so unworthy. Their horns could not fool her, or her people. They were human, no matter how divine they may look. She opened her mouth to speak, and speak she did. _

"_Otsutsuki Hagoromo, the Rinnegan is not a power mere mortals should be in possession of." She said bluntly and to the point. "Forfeit what does not belong to you, or I shall make you give up what is not yours." _

_What had transpired next happened in the blink of an eye, faster for even someone like her to not react fast enough. The white-haired man – planting his black shakujo in the ground – vanished, a loud booming noise coming from the action. He had broken the sound barrier with frightening ease. _

_Suddenly, and without warning, the horned, pale-eyed man was face-to-face with the woman who dared to speak to his brother like a peasant, his blade poised and already swinging at her in a mighty arc. _

_Then, the most powerful man spoke, his whisper of a voice carrying more strength than ten nations. "Hamura." The simple call of his brother's name was enough to stop the powerful man mid-swing. Otsutsuki Hamura, still wearing his ever-stoic expression, turned his blade and instead swiped at the air to the left of the woman, and again, he vanished. _

_The moment he appeared next to his brother, Hamura was already sheathing his blade. Before he could completely sheath it, though, the woman smirked. "Ah, the mighty Hamura still does as he's told by his brother who's not five minutes older than he." Hamura did not respond to this, instead just sheathing his sword with an audible click. _

_And with the click, the mass of trees that was to the woman's left – where the man she had just mocked swung his famed sword – split like paper. Miles of forest was cut clean with a single swing. _

_To her credit, the woman didn't show her nervousness, nothing but a bead of sweat falling from her brow. But that was enough for Hamura, his eyes able to see everything, from her fast heartbeat to her lungs inhaling and exhaling oxygen at a quickened pace. Good. She now knew her place. _

"_What is your name, goddess-san?" Otsutsuki Hagoromo, a man of power and peace, asked. His politeness and willingness to speak was appreciated by the woman. She had obviously underestimated Hamura, and that was her very first mistake. His brother, even without the Rinnegan, was a man that could even face him on equal ground. And his skill with a sword was rivaled by none. _

"_I am Tsukuyomi." She replied. Hagoromo was actually surprised. He never thought he'd meet the goddess his mother named her ultimate techniques after. _

"_Ah, the reality bender." He replied, smiling. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Tsukuyomi-san." He said as he lowered his head a little out of respect for the beautiful woman. "Even without a domain, you are highly respected, both in humanity's eyes and the divine hierarchy." His powerful, feared eyes met her lavender ones, a small smile on her face. No matter what her dislikes were with him, a compliment from the legendary priest was something very appreciated by anyone who was given one. _

"_Flattery will get you nowhere, Hagoromo-san." She decided to add the honorific since he was being so polite, not wanting to be shown up by a human. "You will hand over those eyes." _

_Hagoromo closed his eyes, a small smile on his face. "Polite manners, not flattery, Tsukuyomi-san," he replied. "And I'm most curious as to why you and your people believe my eyes do not belong to me?" He said. His voice was still calm, and neither man showed too much emotion, their faces ever stoic. _

"_Those eyes are divine, and they do not belong to mortals. Life and death are powers that cause catastrophe when in your kind's hands." She said truthfully. "Your mother is proof enough of that." _

_Thus, her second mistake. _

"_My mother does not represent all of humanity, just as you do not represent all deities. It is a narrow-minded, and to be honest, moronic way of thought." Hamura answered. His family meant everything to him, more than anything else, and he would not have others judge or claim to know what they clearly did not. "And I will only say this once," he continued, the veins around his eye sockets bulging, "Never speak of my mother again, or I'll cut your tongue out, vermin." _

_Hamura was a little overprotective._

"_Calm, brother," Hagoromo whispered, seemingly relaxing the angered man with his voice alone. "But he is right, Tsukuyomi-san," his eyes met hers, "Leave our mothers name out of your mouth," he paused, letting the words sit before he gave her a small smile, "Please." _

"_The two of you speak as if you can command me." The supposed goddess proclaimed with narrowed eyes. "You are but hairless apes," she snarled, "Know your place." With that said, the "reality bender" shot off, an almost purple-pink after image following her. _

_She raised her arm and beams, the same color as her after image, shot from her body, rushing at the man who stole god's eyes. When the beams of pure chakra and life energy came within inches of the holy man's flesh, they suddenly stopped, only to begin shrinking, being absorbed into Hagoromo's body by the preta path. _

_Even the gods couldn't scar him._

_Tsukuyomi sighed. "I was hoping to do this the easy way." She shook her head. "But like all humans you can't see the bigger picture of things." She sighed again, this time dramatically. "And here I thought the great priest of the six paths was a reasonable and intelligent man."_

_Hagoromo just smiled softly at the woman. "Intelligent? Fairly. Reasonable? On occasion." He chuckled softly to himself. "As for this "bigger picture", it's not about who can and can't see it," Hamura allowed himself a small smile, already hearing this from his wise brother. "It's about who can comprehend it." He smiled again. _

_The "straw that broke the camel's back", if you will…_

_The air became heavy, the peaceful aura vanishing. Tsukuyomi's lavender eyes darkened to a deep purple, her very skin seemingly falling upwards towards the heavens, only leaving purple skin bright enough to blind some. A halo hovered over her head, almost pink hair standing, resembling wings. And then, the angelic form before them smiled. It was something that befitted a demon, not a divine entity._

"_Such a foolish human, to act as if he is smarter than a goddess," she started. "I will have those eyes," she snarled, "The eyes you used to kill my brother!" _

_The goddess in her true god form blasted off at the brothers who would later slay god, rage-filled eyes narrowed in total righteous fury. _

_Hamura looked to his brother, a sorrowful expression on his face. The deity had just brought up one of the few things that his brother actually regretted. It broke his heart to have to do what he did, but he did, he had to do it. It was not done lightly, but out of necessity. He had to kill the great storm of summer. _

_He had to kill Susanoo. _

_Instead of an angry look of denial, Tsukuyomi came face-to-face with a mournful one, tears falling silently to the ground._

_She didn't stop. _

_The second her energy-covered fist was about to make contact with his face, Hagoromo's eyes snapped onto her, the rings of his eyes almost bulging. _

_Hamura took a step back. _

_The gods were about to duel._

* * *

><p><em>It was an impossible absurdity.<em>

_He… he was not human. He couldn't be. She was sure…_

_She panted, her sore body exhausted beyond anything she had ever felt before. She could hardly breathe. Her bones ached and her muscles screamed. She had near infinite chakra, much more than her siblings, yet, she could hardly feel what was left… was there anything left? She was alive – for now – so she must have some chakra. She tried to raise her head…_

_She just laid there, not even able to raise her own head. This was pathetic, mortifying on a level she never knew existed. A human – no, that's wrong. He… he was not human. He was… he was something else, transcended. He beat her down; he crushed her with such power she had actually been frightened by. _

_He scared her._

_If she could, she would chuckle. She was proud of her self. Even without looking, she knew what was there._

_The surrounding, as far as the eye could see – and considering who was around at the time, that was extremely far – was scarred, flattened, razed. They probably split the country in two… Maybe not that bad, but… she had never seen so much destruction, so much carnage. _

_She had lasted three days. She was able to stand against the great priest for three days. Even if she didn't even scratch his skin, she had lasted for three days, and that in itself, to her, was the only kind of victory anyone who fought the holy man could attain. _

_His shadow announced him, his passive and untired face soon staring at her from above. She looked at him with something akin to acceptance. She did not fear him anymore. Why would she? There was nothing she could do. Fear was an annoyingly human emotion, so she discarded it after realizing that Otsutsuki Hagoromo was even more powerful than she. _

"_Are you going to kill me now, too? Like you murdered by brother?" She asked in a tired voice, more of a whisper than anything. _

_The pain that entered the god man's eyes confused her. "Tsukuyomi," the dropping of –san from her name was noticed, "I did not wish to kill Susanoo." _

"_Then why did you?!" She screamed, not caring enough to hold the tears in anymore. "You took him away from us!" _

_Hagoromo wouldn't allow his eyes to leave hers. It seemed it was time to tell her. "Susanoo lost his mind when his wife was killed." He suddenly said. Tsukuyomi's eyes narrowed. "He became insane, going into a killing frenzy for five days." He sighed at the goddess's disbelieving look. "He killed thousands of people, Tsukuyomi. Thousands of innocent men, women and children lost their lives to his broken self."_

"_Liar!" the goddess shouted, refusing to meet his truthful gaze. _

"_It's the truth." Hamura began. "Nii-san and I tried to convince him to stop, even offered him our help." The younger of the twins huffed. "The fool waited for my back to be turned to strike me like a coward." He continued, not really caring about the woman's feelings. "He was killed trying to take my life. He was rabid, a mindless husk of his former self." _

_Hagoromo finally allowed himself to close his eyes, the gravity of his actions weighing on his shoulders. Susanoo loved his wife more than life itself, and when a nasty demon took her away from him, he had lost himself. He took to bloodlust, craving nothing but death. He became what he and his brother fought – what they protected mortals from. _

_Susanoo had become a demon._

_Seeing the genuine expression of regret and truthfulness caused her to clench her fists. She was such a fool. She had judged too soon, jumping to conclusions before she truly knew the situation. _

"_Brother," Hamura began, "We need to go." Hagoromo turned to his twin, his fellow protector of the powerless. "We have wasted enough time as it is." The pale-eyed Otsutsuki didn't mean to sound insensitive, or arrogant, he just naturally sounded so. He carried more grace, more nobility than even Hagoromo, and if he was anything, he was blunt, to a fault, even. _

_Hagoromo sighed. His brother was right. "We must be taking our leave, Tsukuyomi-san." He nodded his head. "We are needed elsewhere." With that said, the brothers turned, walking away without another word. _

_The goddess had long since taken her human form again._

_She just sat in the destruction caused by her foolishness, tears running down her tired face. _

_Her brother was turned into a monster, tainted by his own hatred and sorrow. _

_And he was cleansed from the human realm by the holy sage. _

_Tsukuyomi cried._

* * *

><p><em>Very little could cause the two most powerful men in world such absolute anger, such absolute rage that they were currently feeling. They were peaceful, caring men, their life mission to guard the sacred beauty that is life, rage and hatred were two things that were somewhat foreign to them. But right now, at this very moment, they were so very livid. <em>

_The wildlife ran in the opposite direction, the plants whimpering in their presence. The ground trembled and the air was heavy, and thick. There was no reverence shown to them by all things natural, only fear. They cried tears of anger. _

_Everyone was dead. _

_They had heard rumors of a demon rampaging across the country, leaving a trail of bodies and despair in its wake. But they didn't think that anything like this would happen. The demonic entity had only taken a handful of lives since the start of its carnage, but this… this was a massacre. The entirety of the small village was butchered, even the children. _

_A small arm, that of a child, reached for the sky, buried in a pile of other bodies, broken and bloody corpses just laid out for anyone to see._

_It was a message._

_The foul creature knew they were tracking it. _

_A sharp intake of breath sounded out behind them. Neither man was surprised. They had felt her trailing behind them, her obvious curiosity in them pushing her to follow, to witness with her own eyes what the men who stole form kami did with their theft. _

_She now wished she hadn't followed. _

"_W-what happened?" Tsukuyomi asked. She was no stranger to death, having witnessed, and caused bloodshed on and off the battlefield. But never before had she seen such malice, such horrid massacre in all her life. No matter what the reason, there was never a proper cause to murder children. They were innocent; the sins of their ancestors were just that, their ancestors. This was an ugly thing, something that made her sick. _

"_This is the work of the real enemy, Tsukuyomi-san." Hagoromo spoke, the anger in his voice cutting the very silence like a hot knife through warm butter. "A brutal, disgusting act meant to anger us…" Hagoromo began to walk through the blood-stained village, a look in his eyes that Tsukuyomi could not make out. _

"_There is only one thing wrong with his little plan…" Hamura began, his pale eyes filled with wrath and fury. Tsukuyomi turned her head to the tall man, her face questioning. Hamura looked to his brother, the two of them sharing a look. _

"_It worked…" _

_The sound of Hagoromo clapping his hands together, his fingers then interlacing, was heard. And then, suddenly and without warning, the entire village lit up in a dark purple light. _

_Tsukuyomi's eyes widened, her heart nearly stopping. _

_The sheer size and density of the chakra the man before her was unleashing on the village was, to be blunt, omnipotent. He hadn't even used a sliver of a fraction of this kind of power against her. If he had, she would have surely died, immediately. _

_She was once again afraid of the holy soldier. _

_The purple flames licked at the blood-soaked soil, a presence she was vaguely familiar with. Her breathing was labored, her throat suddenly dry. With her own eyes, she was witness to the most frightening feat she had ever seen in her lifetime. Yama, the King of Hell, rose, his eyes matching that of the man she was now terrified of. _

_The priest was commanding the bloody King of Hell. _

_With another huge surge of chakra and the great mouth of Yama stretched open to impossible proportions, obeying the commands of the sage. Again, with another incredibly ridiculous amount of chakra, the king began to spit green lights. Within seconds Tsukuyomi knew what the lights were. _

_They were souls, the souls of the dead. _

_The holy man was resurrecting the dead._

_It was terrifying. It was absurd. It was impossible. It was beautiful. _

_Hagoromo wasn't just reviving the dead; he was like a beacon of rejuvenation, the scarred and broken bodies of the unfortunate murdered healing at rates not possible. Hagoromo was washing the death from the land, breathing life back into the village, in both the villagers and nature. He was fixing the world, it seemed. Tsukuyomi managed to tear her hypnotizing stare from the man and fixed it at his brother. She was met with something rather… strange. _

_Hamura was smiling. _

_The last soul left the King of Hell's mouth, the last of the deceased raised. With a silent command, Yama slowly faded back into the ground, the purple flames and overwhelmingly dark presence retreating. _

_Moving with purpose, the brothers began to make their way out of the village, a confused goddess hot on their heels. Why hadn't they waited for the mortals to gain consciousness? Why hadn't the accepted the inevitable thanks and reverence they would have definitely received? It was a little suspicious. Her curiosity eventually won out, and she asked the question that practically burned the tip of her tongue, demanding to be voiced. _

"_Why did you leave before the mortals woke?" She raised an eyebrow. "Have you something to hide?" _

_Hagoromo stopped, Hamura doing the same. The priest looked… tired? _

_The next words he spoke would change the way the goddess looked at him forever. "I wish to keep my humanity."_

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note's:<strong>

**Sorry for not wishing everyone a happy thanksgiving in my Hero or Monster update. It, unfortunately, slipped my mind. So HAPPY BELATED THANKSGIVING! **

**... Yeah... it's way too late...**

**Anyway, just in case you don't hear from me, Happy Holidays! **

**Please, please review. Tell me what you thought about the chapter. Tell me what you want to see happen in this story. Tell me about your thanksgiving, or anything, really. I want to know you all better, so don't be shy and lets mingle! **


	5. The Serpent's Tongue

**Author's Note's:**

**Props to my unofficial beta, Pheonixblade, for helping me edit this chapter. Anyone that is into Naruto x High School DxD crossovers, you should go check out his story, Naruto: Master of his Fate. He's new to the whole writing thing as well, so go show him some love, and let him know I sent you. **

**I'm actually surprised that only one person was able to figure out the pairing in this fic. Congrats, Dragon Country. You were the only one. Dragon Country is also a writer on this site. I've never read his material, but I'm pretty sure he also writes Rinnegan Naruto stories, so those might be interesting to check out. **

**If anyone is into Justice League stories, I recommend reading Strangers in Paradise by MarvelMaster616. An interesting take on what the DC Universe would be like if a young Superman shipwrecked on Themyscira and met Wonder Woman before she could add the "Wonder" in front of the "Woman". Great story. Really slow, but the character development is amazing to read.**

* * *

><p>Bringer of Peace<p>

Chapter Five – The Serpent's Tongue

* * *

><p><em>He felt so peaceful.<em>

_The beautiful woman who sat in his lap, her back pressed against his chest, gazed at the stars with him. The sky was a dark shade of blue, the fiery sun setting, oranges, yellows and reds mixed in a cacophony of beauty. _

_The gentle breeze caressed their exposed skin, dancing in a way only the wind could. It wasn't cold, not with their natural body heat comforting them. The soft grass tickled their skin, reminding them that they weren't alone. They were never alone, for Mother Nature was on their side. _

_He inhaled the precious oxygen the trees provided, and it rushed into his lungs. Exhaling, he felt the beauty he was allowed to call his wife shiver, his breath hitting her fair skin just right. The soft sound she made of the pleasuring feeling of his breath made him warm inside. _

_He looked to the sky once again, his smile slowly fading. He knew what this was, but he didn't mind. He appreciated it anyway. It may have been a dream, but anytime he was with his wife, when he was with Tsukuyomi, he was at peace. _

_He was always his happiest when he was by her side. _

_He really missed his precious wife._

_He let his mind drift, allowing himself to just enjoy this time with her, even if it was but a dream, a memory. _

"_I love you, Tsuki…" He whispered into the night sky, hoping she would hear him. _

* * *

><p>Naruto walked with purpose, Itachi by his side, to the Uchiha compound. This trivial nonsense would end today; he would make sure of it.<p>

The Uchiha clan: one of the founders of the great Konohagakure no Sato, was planning to do something very, very stupid. It shouldn't have been surprising, though, all of humanity seemed infantile through his new eyes, but it still seemed too foolish to be contrived by actual adults. The mere thought sent his already baffled mind into something intimate with oblivion, and that said something about this coup d'état his descendants were planning.

The "Kyuubi Attack" had damaged more than just the village itself. With the attack, the relationship between the Uchiha with the rest of the villagers was all but broken. Herded into a corner of the village like sheep, the Uchiha had felt betrayed, ostracized by the very place they had shed blood for, protected for years, going as far as turning their backs on Uchiha Madara, their beloved Patriarch. As a result, the sheep took off their clothes, and the wolves emerged. They cast aside their loyalties and took up the sword, believing the only freedom they could find was through a takeover.

It was nothing but something akin to childish retaliation in the eyes of the blond.

Though the village was in the wrong for dumping the blame for something they had no part of on the clan as a whole that did not mean the Uchiha were in the right. With what they were planning, war was inevitable. Unfortunately, in this shinobi world, weakness was one of the many sparks that could flare up a war. If one village struck, the others would follow. It was like a chain reaction, a sequence of events that could be predicted by even the thickest of fools. If the Uchiha attacked, those loyal to the Sandaime and the current system of things would retaliate. It would end in something even more disgusting than world wars; civil war.

When family fought family it was the saddest of things. Unity was crucial, if not the very foundation, of peace, and when people of one nation fought one another it was the exact opposite of what needed to be done. And with civil war, no matter the victor, the village would be weakened. And weakness, as stated before, was the harbinger of war.

A bringer of peace such as the Rikudo Sennin would have none of that.

When he was told by a distraught Itachi – which was one of the few times he had seen the boy not his stoic, calm self – that something drastic would be definite if the situation with the Uchiha and Konoha Council didn't change, fast, he knew what was needed to be done. That's when he decided to step in, to put all of his cards on the table, to take his first step in changing the world, to bringing it peace. The fear and anxiety in the person he called friends' eyes had been a gentle, but needed, push in the right direction. It was time he spoke to the Uchiha of Konoha.

Arriving at the clan compound, Itachi led Naruto to his family's home, a nervous look in his onyx eyes. Naruto noticed this, and smiled. "Do not worry, little dragon," he began. "This is for the sake of our people, our family." Itachi felt a pang in his heart. Finally, someone who thought like him and Shisui arrived, having what was needed to change the current cycle, the cycle of hatred.

"H-Hai, Sennin-sama," Itachi replied. He took a deep breath of the afternoon village air, schooling his emotions into cool stoicism. It really surprised Naruto how the little dragon could calm his mind with such ease. It was a skill most had to work their entire lives for, and even then, complete mastery of one's emotions was as rare as it was difficult. But of course, Itachi was always one to completely break plausibility. He was but a child himself, and yet, even in this war-bound shinobi world, he had access to skills that made veterans green with envy. He could truly be a nightmare, if he had sunken as low as the rest of humanity. Again, despite all odds, Itachi was, and this was what earned him the respect of the Rikudo Sennin, a pacifist. He possessed power, he didn't crave it. He could look down on others, but he didn't. He could take as many lives as he wanted, but chose to stay his blade when he could.

Yes, Uchiha Itachi was like him, like his brother. He was a bringer of peace.

"I'm home." Itachi called out when they walked into the lavish home of the clan head. Traditionally styled, Naruto decided that it was too much for his tastes. They walked through a small hallway, their feet making soft noises on the wooded floors. Entering what he believed to be a kitchen, the two were greeted by a beautiful woman with long, black hair. Itachi's mother smiled when she saw her son.

"Itachi-kun." Mikoto greeted gently, her smile somewhat falling when she saw who was with him. "Um… who's this, Itachi-kun?" She asked as politely as she could. She wasn't hesitant about the blond because of his status as the "J word" – that's what Naruto started calling it, Jinchuuriki being just too ugly a word to leave his tongue – but because of who his parents were. Mikoto was one of the few people Uzumaki Kushina could confide in. That being said, Mikoto knew that the red-headed woman was pregnant before Minato-san did. She knew Naruto was her best friend's son, that he was the son of the Yondaime, but she had to stay away from the boy, all Uchiha were forbidden to have any sort of contact with him.

"Mother," Itachi began, his voice that of an ANBU operative of Konohagakure, not her little baby. "Where is father?" He asked. He looked to the blond. "We need to speak." He continued. "It's of great importance."

She was silent, not able to answer her son's question in front of a non-Uchiha. The Naka Shrine was a holy place, outsiders where not allowed to enter or even know of its existence. The shrine just so happened to be the place for their conspiratorial meetings, where they practiced high treason.

His mother's silence was all the answer he needed. "Come, mother," He turned, walking towards the door, "You should be witness to this as well." And with that, Itachi walked out of their home, Uzumaki Naruto at his side, headed towards the Naka Shrine.

Mikoto had a strange feeling about what was going to happen. She just couldn't determine if it was going to be a good strange, or a bad one.

* * *

><p>"Explain yourself, Itachi." The deep and distinctly shocked voice of his father, Uchiha Fugaku, vibrated in the small room they entered not a minute ago. When Itachi walked into the Naka Shrine with a stranger, the clan head had been shocked. When he noticed the stranger was Uzumaki Naruto of all people, he had been furious. His son was putting the entire clan at risk.<p>

"Father, this coup you are planning," Itachi looked to his friend who, nodding his head, gave him the courage to do what was right. "It ends, today." He spoke, his voice laced with authority.

Fugaku was not impressed. "And why is that, boy?" He asked.

Itachi stayed silent, letting the person who decided it was a smart idea to speak to the Uchiha like they were foolish juveniles, talk. "Because I say it does, Fugaku-baka." Ah, his host body's characteristics came and went like a fickle woman. It was very annoying.

"An outsider, never mind a _child_, has absolutely no right to speak here, nor do they deserve to speak to me in such a way." Fugaku replied, calmly, even though his expression was that of annoyance.

"Ah, but it is you who is both the child, and the unworthy." Naruto's smirked, the man's scowl amusing him. "You will listen to me, _boy_. I promise you that." He usually didn't speak like this, his innate polite respectfulness always taking over, but this was a time when it was necessary. The Uchiha, in a general sense, were the embodiment of hubris. The only way to make them listen was, well, to actually _make _them listen.

"I have no intentions of letting you speak to me like this, Uzumaki." Fugaku was still trying his best to keep his cool. Injuring the Jinchuuriki, who just happened to wield the Rinnegan, would be catastrophic. The Uchiha were already on thin ice at the moment, a spectacle like that would have the village looking where they couldn't afford them to look.

Naruto's ringed eyes met the black ones of the Uchiha clan head, and everything changed. Slowly, one by one, black tomoe began to appear on the rings of the purple eyes. Every time a single tomoe appeared, Fugaku couldn't help but blink. Mikoto, who was sitting next to her husband gasped, her heart stopping. A Rinnegan with nine tomoe sitting on its rings stared at the Uchiha Patriarch and Matriarch.

He had made his point, and fulfilled his promise. They would now listen to him.

"Do I have your attention now, Fugaku?" He asked, dropping the –baka, knowing that he'd have to suppress his childish tendencies for the conversation to go as planned. He took the man's silence as a yes, and continued. "It saddens me, to my very core, Fugaku, that the Uchiha are treated in such a way." He stated in complete honesty. "It also saddens me, however, that you have sunken so low." The Uchiha Clan head narrowed his eyes, a dangerous glint in the now crimson orbs. "Ah, see," he began, "Right there! That is what shall be your downfall." He sighed.

Mikoto just stayed silent, watching the blond with mute awe. His eyes, they were… he said that those eyes would return…

"Father, I have successfully secured the Uchiha's safety." Itachi announced, snapping his father out of his angry thoughts.

"Oh?" he asked, patronizingly. "And how's that?" he asked, still upset that his son had brought a stranger into their sacred shrine.

"The Rikudo Sennin," the little dragon spoke his name into existence. "He walks the earth, again." His face was one of complete seriousness, not a shred of doubt or farce in his eyes. He was telling the truth, or at least he truly believed it was.

"You interrupt an important meeting; bring an outsider to our holy ground, and all you have to say for it is that a man long dead has returned to save us?" Fugaku stood, fixed Itachi with a look of rage and disappointment, and stalked towards the door, his already thin patience vanishing.

"I do not wish to save the Uchiha clan alone, Fugaku." Naruto's soft voice rang through the room, almost echoing off the cold, stone walls. Naruto smirked, already knowing he had caught the man's attention with that. "I plan on saving the entire world from what now plagues it like a disease. I wish to save it from this shinobi curse."

There was silence for what seemed like an eternity, however it was probably less than twenty seconds, before Fugaku turned. "You claim much, Uzumaki." He whispered, his Uchiha blood not letting him to just completely dismiss it all as words of an over imaginative child, and when his prodigal son sat next to said child, nothing but a stoic expression marring his face, he couldn't help but wonder, a miniscule amount of wonder at that, if this was the truth. For if it was… it would mean the continuation of the Uchiha, the greatest clan to still walk the nations.

"I claim nothing but the truth." Naruto continued. "And if we're being truthful, I must say, I'm more than a little disappointed in you," he let his gaze fall on even that of Mikoto, "All of you." The Matriarch flinched while those eyes held her in their sights. It was like he could see her very soul. The fact that he didn't like what he saw somehow hurt her, which was very odd, this being the first time she had ever met her friends' son.

"And why is that?" Fugaku decided to humor him.

Naruto looked to Fugaku, and when their eyes met, the Patriarch saw something no seven year old should possess. His eyes seemed to carry that of an aged war veteran. They were almost dull, like the cruel truths of the world were known within those eyes, seen with those eyes. It was enough to make the man flinch.

"The Uchiha, among others, are directly descended from me." He decided to speak with no half-truths, just the facts. "For my own blood to fall into this shinobi way, this ugly, decrepit thing, is heartbreaking." He held the stubborn man's gaze, looking at him like a disappointed father would their child. "Had I not brought peace to this world? Had I not shown you all the way?" He shook his head. "Had I not left behind instructions for those with eyes like ours?" He brought his hands up in the air, a confused look in his eyes. "I asked those of my lineage to safeguard humanity, to protect the land, not burn it to ash!" His voice held a touch of anger, something that, somehow, worried the clan head. Was he really fearful of a child?

"You speak of the stone monument." Fugaku replied. "You told the child about the Sage Stone?" He aimed a dangerous look at Itachi, seething with anger at this point. No matter how fancy the blond boy's eyes were, there was no way he was the great holy man. "You will be punished for your treason, Itachi."

"Prove it." A soft, silky voice rang out, almost lost to the ears of those present. Naruto turned to the Uchiha matriarch, a golden eye brow raised. "Prove that you are the Rikudo Sennin." She elaborated, her courage wavering under the gaze of those eyes… under god's eyes.

Itachi looked at his friend from the corner of his eye. Would Naruto prove his claim? When he saw the small smirk on his face, he knew, he had his answer.

"Very well then, if I have to prove myself, so be it." He brought his hands together, but paused. "Once I do this, the Uchiha coup stops, immediately."

"Enough of th-" Fugaku began to shout, but when the room flared with red and blue flame, his mind froze.

Yin and Yang mixed, colliding in an ethereal, majestic purple, filling the stone-walled room with pure, untainted life energy, the likes of which felt so clean, so rejuvenating that it calmed the frantic, somewhat angered minds of Fugaku and Mikoto. It was a show of raw creation, a power no one but kami should ever wield. They stared at the purple shine with reverence, the very air thick, heavy, causing them to take breath slowly, with trepidation, like they weren't sure if they had permission, the right to breathe in his presence, in the presence of this light, this creation.

He called forth the words that attracted Itachi to him like bees to honey.

"Banbutsu Sozo."

It took him some time, and he couldn't use it on the scale he was able to before, but with practice and meditation, the Creation of all Things was once again in his arsenal of abilities.

The purple flame flared again, causing those in the room to shield their eyes. Upon opening them, sitting in the now opened palms of its creator, a small – was that a _dragon?! _– stared up at the Uchiha, blinking slowly.

He had created life, to a majestic creature whose species was long extinct.

The fire breathers gasped, seeing a child produce life from nothing, creating a mythical creature before their very eyes. It was his proof. He had proved it. Only an idiot would further deny it.

Uzumaki Naruto was the Rikudo Sennin.

Mikoto bowed, followed by Itachi and then Fugaku, the respect and reverence for the greatest man to be born almost palpable.

Naruto smiled. "Raise your heads, Uchiha." He spoke to the family bowing to him. He had no desire to be worshiped. "I am not your god, or your king." He wished to be their guide, the light in the dark to lead them to peace, to harmony.

"What are you then?" Fugaku asked. There was no spite or anger in his words. He honestly wanted to know what the holy man would do for them. He was under so much stress with the clan that he almost forgot what hope and happiness felt like. The only time he ever felt something more than resentful rage was when he saw his youngest child's smile. Sasuke was his little slice of relief in the thick darkness he and his whole clan were drowning in.

The small, baby dragon beat its tiny wings, hovering in the air before resting on Itachi's shoulder.

"If I'm still being honest, I have no clue." He sighed. "I brought humanity peace once before. I gave them understanding, harmony, a paradise on earth." He shook his head. "But even with everything, humanity still wanted more. My teachings were corrupted, my beliefs spit on." He looked to his left at the plain wall. "I don't know what the world needs anymore." He looked at Itachi. "Does it need peace and prosperity that is brought with love and kindness?" He swallowed, hard, looking to Fugaku. "Or does it need subjugation brought upon with a dictator's regime and domination?" He sighed. "I really don't know anymore."

"Subjugation?" Mikoto questioned softly. "Why would someone like you need to use subjugation?" She asked. "You're a holy man. You're all but worshiped in this time. All you'd need to do is announce your presence to the world and you'd have everyone at your command."

Naruto chuckled dryly. "My old name isn't even known to this era." He replied. "Yes, "Rikudo Sennin" is still around, but even that title is only whispered in fairy tales and fables." He shook his head. "The world wouldn't follow me, not now, not in this era." He knew this from the beginning. "Shinobi think themselves invincible. They answer to either one person, or no one. Loyalties are something fierce to break, even for someone like me. It would be nigh impossible to unite the entirety of the "Elemental Nations" so suddenly. My name means nothing in this time. "Uzumaki Naruto" is nothing but an orphaned Jinchuuriki with the eyes of a fantasy man." He once again shook his head. "No, that would not work." He had already thought of all this.

"But still… world domination sounds…" Mikoto left the words to hang.

"Evil?" he finished. "I once thought that way as well."

"What changed?" Fugaku asked, curious.

"I wish I could say humanity, but the sad fact is that humans haven't changed one bit, they just stepped their game up. Even before my first life, war plagued the land. It's almost as if it's an innate trait written in our DNA." He chuckled. "What changed was me." He looked Fugaku in the eyes again. "I'm not so naïve anymore. I no longer have faith in mortals like I used to." Naruto asked Fugaku the question he wanted to know the most. "My tablet, have you read it, what little you could?"

Fugaku nodded. He looked at his wife, and with a conceding nod, he began. "To be truthful, I have not gained the powers of the Mangekyo, so I was only able to decipher very little of your words." He sighed deeply, like he was extremely sad about his next words, yet saying them with something akin to pride. "My wife, however, unlocked them years ago in the war." Eyes wide in mild horror, Itachi glanced at his mother. Yes, Mikoto had gained the cursed eyes when she was forced to watch her father tortured and killed during the battle of Two Flags in the Third Shinobi World War.

Unlocking the Mangekyo after her father no longer took breath in this world, Mikoto used the fatal techniques it blessed upon her – or cursed – she was able to slaughter both shinobi villages that rallied under Iwa's name. The utter destruction and bloodshed had been great even when compared to the great destroyer of armies, which said a lot about it if compared to Namikaze Minato. It may also be the reason the battle of Two Flags was rarely mentioned. It wasn't pleasant for anyone, on any side of the conflict.

"Mother…" Itachi whispered in sadness. He would not pity her, however. No matter how gentle and ladylike she acted, she was still an Uchiha through and through. Pity was a great disrespect in the eyes of the crimson fire breathers. Even the small dragon perched on his shoulder tilted its head, looking at the woman with an undeterminable expression.

"She has deciphered much more than I, almost half of the great stone, and shared her knowledge with me." Fugaku continued.

"And even still you chose this shinobi life over one of guardians?" He asked, no longer angered, but hurt.

"I don't understand." Mikoto began. "The tablet says that we are superior to others, that we should do everything in our power to continue your legacy of greatness." She looked confused with Naruto's outrageous expression. "Unless the other half explains further, you more or less told us to be kings…" She finished in a soft, unsure tone.

The blond was silent, taking in this information. What the Uchiha-hime had just explained, the stone monument he left behind was either tampered with or replaced. This angered him more than he would explain. Someone was speaking to his people, using his name, telling them kami knows what. It was the ultimate sin, the greatest weapon.

It was the serpents tongue.

"Take me to the tablet." He commanded. He was not happy.

* * *

><p>Naruto sat in front of the ugliest sight he had seen in a long time.<p>

His stone monument, his life's hardships and helping words were gone, replaced with artifice. With his Rinnegan, all that was the great Sage Stone, as the Uchiha apparently called it, he was able to read everything the tablet said, or more accurately, lied.

It spoke of a man who was drunk with his power, a man who considered himself, and those who were born from him, the rightful rulers of humanity. This disgusting stone spoke of gods and kings, explaining that the ultimate power, the Rinnegan, was the only way for the kings to once again be gods, encouraging those with powerful eyes to do everything in their power to attain the eyes of god.

It was sickening.

He snapped. Anger, white-hot, pure anger welled within him, Kurama's chakra resonating with the emotion he was the embodiment of. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. Someone had the _nerve _to so openly stand against him, to defile his name, his words with such carelessness.

Naruto craved for something he never craved so much before.

He wanted blood. He wanted the blood of the person, or persons, who led his people astray for so long.

He closed his eyes, the three Uchiha who stood silently behind him not understanding the gravity of his rage.

That was about to change.

* * *

><p>Kurama, the mighty Kyuubi no Kitsune, was a being of pure chakra, the largest fragment of a god split by a man who could very well take its place. He was a powerful force of nature, his very tails able to cause tsunamis. He was the most powerful Bijuu in existence, and was not easily frightened.<p>

He had faced men and beast alike, and never before had he ever showed fear, even when facing foes such as Senju Hashirama or Namikaze Minato. You could not scare what was fear incarnate, the embodiment of hate.

He was centuries old, and in all his years, he had never been scared. Other emotions besides hate he was very intimate with. Loneliness, betrayal, pain, and despair, all these things he had felt at least once in his very long life, but fear was still a very foreign concept to the third eldest son of the Rikudo Sennin.

But when his father appeared in the shared mindscape, their link between minds, with nine tomoe sitting on the rings of his Rinnegan, a look of absolute rage that disrupted the still waters below, he couldn't help but think that the feeling he had in his stomach was fear.

Kurama was afraid, because his father was probably the only being ever created that had the power to kill even a Bijuu. He knew his father wasn't looking at him with those hate-filled eyes, but even being in the presence of such anger that stemmed from the Sage of Six Paths struck the fear of god in him.

He almost felt sorry for whoever angered such a powerful man, because his father was the scariest thing to grace this earth. Even the most peaceful of men could be pushed too far, and that's exactly what Kurama could see.

Someone had pushed his father too far, and that only meant one thing.

This person's end was nigh.

"Kurama." Naruto spoke, his voice still that of the seven year old host's, but the power behind it was undoubtedly that of the great soldier of peace.

"**F-Father…**" Kurama tried to keep his head up, trying his hardest not to instinctively bow, to obey this man before him. It was incredibly difficult.

"Someone has deceived my people, using my own tongue to do so." Kurama was able to gain his composure somewhat, his shock overwhelming his fear. "My tablet has been tampered with." His father was so angry, so upset that someone would push his children into this dark place. "Someone has forced hubris onto my descendants." Kurama's fear was now almost completely replaced with an emotion he was so very familiar with. "The serpents tongue has spoken as if they were my words…"

"**Blasphemy!**" Kurama screamed. His fear vanished as fast as it was brought upon him, anger in its place.

"Kurama," he continued, "It is time I fulfill my promise to you." He brought his arms up, aiming them at the great bars that held his son as a prisoner. The eyes of god gazed upon the cage, and instantly, a gripping sound filled their ears. The bars creaked, small cracks beginning to form. Before his crimson, slit eyes, the metal he couldn't even scratch began to shake under the pressure of his father's technique, the same technique he used so many times in his first life.

His father whispered those two powerful words, prying the cage apart, and his ears and soul drunk them in, the beauty in them never ceasing to amaze him.

"Bansho Ten'in."

* * *

><p>Fugaku, Itachi and Mikoto had believed that they were immune to killing intent, to the mere flaring of chakra in an intimidating fashion, but standing so close to the pressure the blond was releasing had thoroughly dismissed that belief.<p>

It started as dark, powerful killing intent, one that all but screamed anger and betrayal. The entire hidden room went cold, the air rushing away, fleeing the child. It was like a sudden switch, one that, when turned on, there was no turning it off, not until it _chose _to. Then, accompanying the outrageously scary killing intent, a sudden surge of mighty chakra filled the sacred grounds the Uchiha had watched over for years. The chakra was the exact opposite of the terrifyingly dark intent to kill; it was gentle, yet firm. It was soothing, yet jarring. It was both powerful – frighteningly so – and, in the only word the Uchiha could describe such "clean" chakra, divine.

The walls shook, cracking under the pressure of such might. The ground rumbled, the air crying in fear.

And then, a polar opposite joined the fray. Dark, ominous chakra that could only be described as demonic wrapped around the small form, filling the room with a dark red-black energy, only to vanish just as fast as it appeared.

With the Sharingan, the Uchiha witnesses could see – could remember the overwhelming chakra signature of the Kyuubi.

Naruto was confronting the greatest of the Bijuu. And with his confident, joyed face, they could tell that he did so on his own accord. The fact that he showed no fear, but happiness, only further proved that he was the creator of the Bijuu, and the father of their clan.

* * *

><p>With the might of kami herself, the father set free the son.<p>

Naruto stared at the free form of his son in silence, marveling at the beauty he possessed. It was enough to calm his enraged mind, but it wasn't enough to make him forget. "I plan on hunting who's responsible for this sin, and I plan to make them suffer, just as my children have suffered by his hand." He looked to his son, an expression of uncertainty. "I wish it were different, but with my current strength…" He sighed. "Will you help me, my son?" It pained him to ask something so heinous of his son, but he couldn't afford not to.

Kurama, standing before his father in all his glory spoke in such a genuine tone that it worried the great sage as much as it brought him happiness.

"**For you, father,**" he wore an absolutely determined expression, "**I'd rip the world asunder.**"

He smiled, feeling the love in such dark, menacing words. He opened his mouth to speak, when suddenly, the most amazing thing happened.

Bright, gilded chains rose from the watery ground, wrapping around Kurama with a determined grace.

"You will not have my child, baka-fox!" A beautiful female voice shouted from behind him.

"Agreed." A second voice called out, the gentle, yet powerful male voice also coming from behind him.

Naruto turned, and was fascinated by what he saw.

His parents were ridiculously clever…

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note's:<strong>

**I have no idea why it happened, but it did... I have fallen in love with the horribleness that is the cliffhanger. I know, it's an evil tool, and I shouldn't give in to temptation, but it just feels so _good_! **

**If anyone was wondering, the apparent dragon I had Naruto create will only have ONE significant role in this story. So don't expect her to become Itachi's sidekick or anything. She'll be taking a backseat in this story, only to shine _gloriously _when it is his time. And shine she will!**

**Oh! Almost forgot. Naruto, no matter what it seems like at the moment, is not super OP and god-like. He most definitely will be in this story, but right now he's still very young, and has to gain his abilities one by one again. I've only used techniques that only require equally retarded amounts of chakra, life energy, and imagination, which, even in canon, Naruto has an abundance of. The Bansho Ten'in he used was only possible (on that magnitude) because it was within his mind, where, even so young, he is in complete control. He's got the eyes of a god, the mind of a god, and the heart of a... wait for it... god. So yeah, master of his mind and all that. **

**I'm going to announce the pairing soon. It's kind of obvious, but that's of little importance. **

**Please review! The bottle's empty, and I'm a functioning alcoholic. I need it, I really do. **

**Happy Holidays! I hope everyone has an amazing time! **


	6. Speak the Devil's Name

**Author's Note's:**

**Okay, this chapter is NOT edited. I wanted to give you all a New Year's gift, so I didn't have the time to do it. I hope there isn't too many mistakes. I will later fix the ones I missed.**

**I hope everyone has an AMAZING New Year's! I can't wait to see what 2015 has in store for me.**

**Okay, now that it's 2015, I just want to say I posted this chapter eight seconds before 12:00. I think it might possibly be the very last update of 2014 on this site. It COULD be, I'm just saying. I mean, eight seconds! That was a close call. **

* * *

><p>Bringer of Peace<p>

Chapter Six – Speak the Devil's Name

* * *

><p>The gilded chains that held his son back were so bright, so beautiful it reminded him of his wife.<p>

Naruto turned, his powerful eyes meeting what should be impossible.

Long, scarlet hair was the first thing he saw. Her fair skin and beautiful violet eyes came next, the determined, and slightly fearful, expression on her face greeting his shocked one. She was Uzumaki Kushina, his mother – his mortal mother. She was beautiful.

A shock of bright, sun-kissed hair greeted him next, ocean blue eyes locking onto his purple, ringed ones. The man before him was a legend, a hero, a daydream and a nightmare. He was Namikaze Minato, his mortal father.

His parents…

"I won't let you hurt my son!" Kushina shouted, tightening the chains that were made completely out of her chakra. Kurama grunted under the pressure, but stayed still nonetheless. His father would not let them touch him, he was sure of it.

"Naruto!" Minato yelled. He opened his mouth to yell again, but was silenced when he saw his son's eyes, and the following smirk.

Naruto turned back to his son, simply waving a hand towards the bound Kurama. With little to no effort, the gilded chains fell, splashing into oblivion. No matter who they were, no being would touch his children ever again.

He turned, his face that of a warrior during the calm before a war. "Father," he called out, "Mother," he continued, "We have much to discuss." He could see the confusion and worry in their eyes, but continued anyways. With a wave of his hand, the trio of humans were no longer standing in the dark, dank sewer they had been not three seconds ago. Instead, the small family stood in what looked like a candlelit room, except there were no visible walls or ceiling. It was warm, but a small breeze somehow managed to brush against their skin. Naruto gave them a small, reassuring smile, hoping it would calm their frantic minds.

"Naruto, the seal!" Kushina started, a panicked look marring her beautiful face. "We have to seal the Kyuubi before it tries-"

Kushina was silenced when small arms enveloped her into a warm embrace. "So you are my mother in this life, then." He whispered – his voice full of happiness and content. "You are a beautiful woman, mother." He finished.

Kushina was taken aback for a moment, before allowing her own arms to hug her son back, her motherly instincts kicking into overdrive. He was so big! He was so much smaller the last time she saw him, his infant body fitting into her hands.

"My Naruto." She whispered, shakily. "My son." She cried. Her hands were shaking, and he could tell that she was crying long before the wet tears touched his scalp.

Naruto allowed his mother to embrace him for many moments, their bodies so close, their warmth so inviting. It was almost as if it were real.

"The Kyuubi…" Minato tried, but his voice fell on deaf ears. He sighed, deciding that if he couldn't beat them, join them. The Yellow Flash embraced his family for the very first time. They were reunited.

After many minutes of mere holding, the small family finally pulled apart, and Naruto could see the tearing eyes of his mortal parents. That made what he was about to say all the more difficult.

"I am not your son."

* * *

><p>The incredibly stupid village was now beyond hope, they were that stupid.<p>

He was merely eight, still a child in most aspects of the word. He had just turned eight, and already, the village declared him an official shinobi of Konohagakure no Sato. It was incredibly disconcerting. He was a child, a baby, and they gave him a forehead protector and a blade, stripping him of his childhood and forcing him into adulthood. It was even still nigh inconceivable in his mind. How could a civilization be so lost in their ways to give children weapons and tell them that they were now adults?

Moronic fools, the whole lot of them!

It came rather quick, if he were honest. He had intended to only play the shinobi role until he was sure of what he wished to do, but that changed when he was revealed to the entire Uchiha clan. It took a little convincing, but his descendants now – secretly, of course – renounced their loyalty to Konoha and would follow him wherever he may take them. It was a huge step in securing the harmony of this world, one that he was completely confidant about.

He had finally learned the customs of shinobi village politics, and that had been the reason for actually following through with his shinobi training. Apparently, no matter what anyone said, any actions he would most definitely need to take would always lead back to Konoha. Fingers would be pointed, and one wrong word could result in definite war. It was a fact he hadn't planned for. Itachi had come up with the idea, actually. It was rather simple, but it was dirty and underhanded, something a shinobi would do, not him. But it was the only way he could go about it.

Hence, he and Itachi would become missing-nin, shinobi who betrayed or abandoned their home village. It was an ugly title, but he was already classified as the ugliest title known to man, so he conceited. Becoming a missing-nin was actually a lot harder than some would think, or, a missing-nin of a caliber they needed to become, more specifically. They couldn't become petty criminals, or even average ones. No, they needed to be the top of the food chain, they needed to be feared.

Using fear as a weapon was something he very much disliked, but it was a necessity in this world.

If they were feared, less shinobi would be sent to collect them. Their names would strike fear into green shinobi, giving them more and more room to work. They needed to be feared, to be recognized as dangerous men, because if villages were constantly trying to track them down, their plans would take years to complete. They were both in possession of powerful dojutsu, the greatest in the Elemental Nations, and Naruto carried what Konoha believed to be theirs. They were both more valuable than all the gold any village had.

So, to gain the recognition they needed, they had to commit crimes of the highest degree.

That came later, though. Currently, Naruto was patiently waiting to be placed on a team, which was a little annoying. He had gained shinobi status half way through the academy year, and since there were no openings on active teams, he had to wait for the next batch of graduates. Unfortunately, Itachi was not given permission to take him on missions outside of the village, so he was stuck with the miserable D-ranks the Hokage assigned to him as solo missions. By this time, he had completed thirty D-rank missions, all of which were so dull he wanted to rip his hair out.

The Hokage commissioned him to file the paper work in the correct cabinets when they were finished. It was a waste of his time, and he had better things to do, or at least, more important things to do. There was much work to do with the Uchiha. There was absolutely no way his descendants would stay in Konoha, not after being treated like sheep, but they had nowhere else to go, not yet. He needed to have access with the outside world to find the perfect place to leave his people while he went out and gathered his children. Every day that passed his sons and daughters were forced into a life of solitude and servitude. It was something he thought of constantly, there loneliness and hatefulness.

And then there was the conversation he needed to have with the Sandaime that he absolutely did not look forward to, even in the slightest bit. The stone monument that had been tampered with to the point that is was hardly his stone monument anymore, brought something to his attention, and during his little reunion with his mortal parents, he slowly discovered something that smelt sinister.

* * *

><p>"<em>W-What do you mean you're not our son?" Kushina asked in confusion.<em>

_Naruto gave her a sorrowful expression. "I am Uzumaki Naruto, but at the same time, I am not." He started. His mother looked at him in a way only a mother could, a way that hurt him to continue. "The best way that I can explain it is to be blunt." He began. "It may be confusing, but please listen to the end, okay?" _

_Kushina went to say something, but Minato stopped her. "Our son has something to tell us, Kushina." He stated in such a way that practically screamed with the power he once had. His father looked to be an average, kind and gentle man, but those that knew him knew him to be the deadliest man since the Sandaime in his prime. "Let's listen to him like good parents should." He continued with a small smile that could even make his enemies blush. _

_Kushina was silent for a moment, before nodding slightly. Naruto gave his mortal father a smile of his own in thanks before beginning. "The two of you have at least heard of reincarnation, correct?" He asked his parents. When he received short nods, he went on. "Well, I have been reincarnated as your son, as Uzumaki Naruto." Seeing the worried expressions of his parents, Naruto held up a hand to prevent them from interrupting. "Please, just listen." He kindly requested. "When I first walked the earth, I was known as Otsutsuki Hagoromo. I have been called many things in that life, a priest, a sage, a holy man, the savior of this world, but the most prominent title I was given was-"_

"_The Rikudo Sennin…" Minato finished, breathlessly. _

_Kushina looked at her husband in exasperation. But when she turned back to her son, his expression genuine, she lost her breath. Her son… was he truly the Rikudo Sennin? Was her Naruto the reincarnation of the holy Sage of Six Paths?_

"_Yes, father, I am – was – the Rikudo Sennin." He admitted. "When you gave birth to," he was about to say "host", but intelligently reminded himself that the host's parents were in front of him, so changed his words skillfully, "Naruto, I was lured to a confrontation of wills." These words confused his parents a great deal. "Your son was to be the next link in a rather long chain." He decided to let them know the whole truth. "My human children, Indra and Asura, have been locked in a battle that's lasted a thousand years." He sighed while shaking his head. "Like my own chakra, theirs was too powerful, too sentient that it could never truly pass on to the Pure World. Unlike me, however, they chose to transmigrate, to be reincarnated as humans and continue their foolish war." Minato and Kushina listened with extreme interest. They were hearing ancient history, that's for sure. "The last two links in the chain reshaped the landscape, and changed much of the world." He continued. "They were Uchiha Madara and Senju Hashirama." He stated, causing his parents to gasp. _

"_Are you saying that two of the most powerful shinobi in our history were actually reincarnations of your sons, whose sole purpose was to continue an age long war that's never been settled?" Minato asked, trying to connect the dots of the story. _

"_Yes," Naruto began, "They were both "possessed" by my human children."_

_Before he could continue, Kushina spoke up. "Why do you keep saying "human children"?" she asked. "What other kind of children are there?" It was kind of irritating her, the way he made sure to put "human" before children when speaking of his war-thirsty sons._

_Naruto smiled. Waving his hand behind him, Kurama's free form was let into the Room of Beginnings, the birthplace of all nine Bijuu. "The Tailed-Beasts," Naruto began in a gentle, loving tone, "Are my creations, my children." Kushina stumbled back, taken aback by his declaration. "Kurama is my third child, my first creation." He turned to his beautiful, nine-tailed son and smiled. _

"_Y-You…" Kushina tried to say, her words jumbled and her mind a mess. _

_Naruto could see his father tense, his shinobi-trained body ready to take action at any moment. And when he took his father's speed and natural reflex's in consideration, he was somewhat hesitant to test the theory of him being in total control of his own mind. _

"_Kurama will not harm you, have no fear." He tried to reassure his nervous parents. "He isn't the bloodthirsty monster you believe him to be." He tried. "He is misunderstood and bitter due to his constant unjust imprisonment." _

"_Unjust?" Kushina spit out. "He's taken countless lives! Ours included, in case you forgot!" she finished. _

_Naruto sighed. "If you were captured for the only purpose of leverage in pointless wars and sealed into human prisons for years at a time, wouldn't you be upset?" He spoke, trying his best to defend his son. _

"_**And let's not forget about the man in the mask.**__" Kurama chimed his two cents in, the eyes of the Yondaime immediately widening. _

"_The man in the mask!" he shouted. "That's right, Naruto, you-" The blond raised a hand though._

"_Please, whatever you wish to say can be explained later." He started. "I wish to finish our previous conversation before we start another." Waving Kurama out of his parents' sight, they nodded, allowing him to continue. "When Madara mixed Hashirama's cells, he was able to waken the Rinnegan through the combining of Asura's and Indra's chakra." He explained. "Before that happened, the cycle should have continued. Asura and Indra should have transmigrated. Uzumaki Naruto was to inherit Asura's chakra, while Uchiha Sasuke was to inherit Indra's." _

"… _Mikoto's son…" Kushina said sadly. _

_Naruto went on. "When Indra remembered the power he possessed when he had Asura's chakra, he desired more. He always wished to have my eyes, to have my power, but was never able to accomplish his goals in his life, until Uchiha Madara." Yes, Madara was brilliant, for he was able to accomplish something even Otsutsuki Indra, a genius even in the eyes of the Sage of Six Paths, could not. It was frightening. "Deciding to strike at his brother while he transmigrated to another host, he tried to absorb Asura's chakra." He then smirked. "That's when I showed up." He still didn't know how it was possible, but that was of little importance. "I was… beckoned to my children. An unknown force brought me to my struggling children, and that's when I decided to step in, to break the cycle." He looked at his parents. "Are you still with me?" He asked. _

_Kushina and Minato nodded, if hesitantly. "Yes, I think we are." Minato replied. "Please, continue." He offered._

_Nodding, Naruto continued. "I then proceeded to absorb my children's chakra, and then bonded with your son's soul." This made both Minato and Kushina sharpen, wanting to understand everything that involved their son, their Naruto. "So you can say that I am both Hagoromo, and Naruto. But because Naruto was but a newborn, and I had already lived a full life, and then some, I took over as the main influence." He smiled. "Naruto is me, and I am Naruto. We are no longer two separate beings, but one new, improved one." He reached out to his mother, pressing his small hand into hers. "Even though I know of my past life's mother, I still see you as my mother. This life is the only one that matters right now, and you are my only mother in this life." He looked at her, hesitantly. "Unless… you aren't okay with that…" He whispered. He knew the logic behind everything, but that didn't matter to him. Uzumaki Kushina was his mother, no matter who anyone saw him as. She had given birth to him, to his body, his temple, so in that sense, she really was his biological mother. _

_Kushina was silent for all but a millisecond before she wrapped her arms around her son and squeezed. "No matter who or what you are or have been," she said in a comforting tone, "You will always be my son!" If he thought he'd get rid of her that easy he was in for a big shock! She was his momma, end of story. _

_He couldn't help the small, genuine smile on his face. He had never felt such strong love from a mother in his life. It was… pleasant…_

"_And no matter how much you'd like to get rid of me," Minato started, wrapping his arm around his family again, "I am your father, you hear me?" He said proudly. It wasn't every day you fathered the Rikudo Sennin. _

_Naruto chuckled at his father – ah, he liked the sound of that, _his father_ – and sighed happily. He had a family. He smiled to himself, letting Kurama fade back into existence. The towering form of the Kyuubi felt his father's insistence, and decided to obey his silent plea. _

_Kushina and Minato were startled when a large, rather fluffy, orange tail wrapped around the three of them. At first, they thought the vile, dark creature betrayed even its creator, but were greatly surprised when nothing followed the embrace. The… the Nine-Tails was… hugging them…_

"_The Kyuubi…" Kushina began. "…He's really not evil incarnate?" She asked aloud, to no one in particular. _

_Naruto smiled. "Of course not." He petted the mighty tail of his son. "He's just been so mistreated by the people he was made to help keep balance for, and betrayal can make anyone do horrible things." He stated firmly. "You know… he was created as the embodiment of hope and love at the beginning." His parents looked at him like he had grown a second head. "I'm serious," he began. "But when betrayal occurs, hope turns into despair, and love turns into hate." He knew they understood. "Humanity corrupted him, turning him into what he is today." Kurama was silent, already knowing this. "But I plan to fix all of that." He stated confidently._

"_What do you mean?" Kushina asked._

"_I have brought peace and order to this world once before already." He said. "It's not easy, not in the slightest, but not impossible, either." He shook his head. "The method I need to take is still a mystery, but the fact still remains, I will bring peace to the lands once again." _

_His father swallowed, hard. "The prophecy… it was right…" He smiled. "I was right." He finished, looking up at the giant fox. _

"_Ah, you speak of Gamamaru's prophecy." He started, shocking his father. _

"_Gamamaru?" he asked in confusion. _

_Naruto began to laugh, hard. "Oh kami!" he rasped between chuckled, "Don't tell me he's so old he's even forgot his own name!" He was now clutching his stomach in pain. "The old toad who could foresee the future can't even remember his own name." He started to calm down. "That's just hilarious." He finished, taking in a deep breath before exhaling. _

"_Wait…" Minato began, "… Are you saying that the Great Toad Sage of Mount Myoboku is named Gamamaru?" He then recoiled back, as if he was struck. "And that he was alive when you first lived?" He knew the toad was old… but _that _old?_

"_Hai," Naruto replied. "Gamamaru was born from my powerful natural energy ninshu." Naruto explained. "The Mount Myoboku you speak of is most likely a location I used high amounts of, what is it called in the era?" He thought for a moment before remembering the correct term. "Senjutsu! Mount Myoboku must be a place I used Senjutsu to the extreme." _

_Minato and Kushina just nodded dumbly as they were explained the creation of the honorable toad summons. _

"_**Father, I believe it is time to discuss the man in the mask.**__" Kurama spoke up, deciding to gently push the conversation into something that needed to be discussed. "__**I believe that he is responsible for the current situation with your Uchiha descendants.**__" He finished. _

_Kushina perked at that statement. "The Uchiha are your descendants?" She asked, almost completely forgetting her dislike for the Kyuubi. _

_Naruto nodded. "Yes, they, along with the Senju, and Uzumaki are directly descended from me." He answered, before smiling. "So, technically, I'm your grandfather, Kushina-chan." He added the –chan suffix to make his little joke even better. He quickly regretted that decision. _

"_Don't speak to your mother like that, Naruto-chan!" She snapped. Her hair began to flare ominously behind her. That's when Naruto decided firmly that mothers could be very scary. Kurama snickered at how his father was so utterly whipped into shape by a mortal woman, before something rather… strange happened. "Oi, Kurama!" Kushina scolded the beast. "Don't be a bad influence!" He looked at her like she was crazy for talking to him like that. "Don't give me that look! I'm your grandma now!" Even Naruto and Minato looked incredulous. "So don't give me any lip, boy!" She shouted, her tone final. _

_Naruto just shook his head. His mother really was something else. _

"_**H-Hai…**__" Kurama conceited after a failed staring contest with the Red-Hot Habanero._

_Kushina gave a look of smug victory. There were was hope for her boys yet. _

* * *

><p><em>After describing what actually happened the night of the "Kyuubi Attack" to his son, Minato became silent, seeing the incredible rage in his son's famed eyes. <em>

_That's when Kurama decided to speak up. "__**Father,**__" he began, "__**It was not Uchiha Madara who attacked that night.**__" Minato met his slit gaze with a look of confusion. "__**Years ago, that man put me under his control and forced me to fight the Shodai Hokage. I'd remember that man's chakra signature anywhere.**__" He shook his head. "__**That was not Madara.**__" He finished. _

"_So someone is running around out there using Madara's name, and has the skill to fool someone like the Yondaime Hokage…" Naruto began in an angered tone. "Even if he is not Madara, he is dangerous." Naruto decided. "And then there's the fact that the stone monument…" He let his words trail off, before seeing his parents' confused looks, so he chose to continue. "I left behind a stone monument for those who had ocular powers, hoping they'd reconsider when they had the eyes to decipher the entire thing." Minato caught the flush of new rage enter those powerful eyes of his son. "Somehow, someone managed to tamper with it, writing down false messages as if they were my own words… And apparently, according to the "Sage Stone", Uchiha Madara survived the battle at the Valley of End." This had been very disconcerting to hear, but they had been talking about the man for a while now and his very name didn't cause any immediate gasps of shock anymore. It seemed Madara was capable of anything, that's how they saw the man now, which made him so very deadly. _

"_If he survived, the masked man could have some kind affiliation with him." Minato thought out loud. "And if that's the case, we have a serious problem on our hands." _

_Kushina looked at her husband. "What do you mean?" She asked curiously._

"_Besides the obvious," he started, receiving a nod from his wife, "The alliance of two men who could enslave a Bijuu with a single look would… complicate things." He decided to choose his words carefully when it came to the Tailed-Beasts around his son. He knew if anyone badmouthed Naruto, he'd be the first to defend him, and not just because he was the fastest man alive. "And the fact that the masked man was able to break through multiple ANBU guards, separate you and I, release the Kyu- Kurama," he fixed his slip up, "And then fight me while unleashing the power of a Bijuu on the village all almost flawlessly will already make this plan of yours difficult, Naruto." He shook his head. "I wish we didn't have to leave you." He hissed softly, his emotions in turmoil at the thought of abandoning his child, again. _

_Kushina mirrored his sorrow, turning to her son. "I don't want to leave you either, Naruto-chan." She knew he was powerful in his own right, and that with age he would become the most powerful man to walk the earth, again, but she was still his mother, and she still worried about him._

_A single tear fell from his mother's ducts before he was at her side, a wild grin on his face. "Who said anything about you two leaving me?" He touched two fingers to their heads, both his right and left hands' index and middle fingers tapping their foreheads. _

_With a surge of chakra and raw creation, the diminishing chakra that tethered his parent's souls to the seal within him vanished, replaced with something different, something stronger. _

"_W-what did you just do?" Kushina asked, her eyes wide in shock with her newfound energy. _

"_You two are incredibly clever, but when it comes to…" once again, he took a moment to think or the correct term of a certain skillset in this era, before finishing. "… Ah, yes, when it comes to fuinjutsu, my brother was superior in every way." He smiled, somewhat sadly, at the thought of his beloved brother, the man who stood at his side since they were born from the Rabbit Goddess. "Being around him, one can't help but pick up some rather useful tricks." When he saw the incredibly curious looks on their faces, he elaborated. "Your souls were anchored, or tethered, to this realm by the rather ingenious seal you used to trap Kurama," the giant fox grunted, before Kushina gave him the "grandma look", and he decided to watch his mouth. _

"_So far we understand." Kushina replied. _

"_But with that method, only the specific chakra that was sealed away would exist, and when that ran out, you two would vanish, your respective chakra unable to replenish itself." He smiled. "But with this method…" He showed them the most complicated-looking seal array they'd ever seen, evens on top of odds, with more evens above those. _

"_But when you place an odd-numbered seal on an even-numbered seal, or vice-versa, an imbalance is created…" Minato voiced both his and his wife's confusion. _

_Naruto just smiled. "That is true," he nodded, before gaining a smirk, "Unless you know how to layer two or more seals together." His parents' owlish eyes amused him. "The odd-numbered seals are actual even-numbered ones; they're just layered on top of one another, appearing to be odd when it is actually even." _

"…"

"…"

"_You don't have to understand it, just know that I changed the anchor." He waved off the complicated art of layering seals onto other seals, deciding to explain the outcome, not the process. "Your chakra will now replenish, feeding off the raw Yin-Yang chakra my soul exudes." His soul was the very essence of life and death, which was why he theorized he had control of both abstract powers. "Unless I die, the two of you could live forever off my life energy." Seeing the fearful expressions of Minato and Kushina, he just chuckled. "It's not harmful in any way to my person at all. I won't even feel the drain. Trust me when I say I could power an entire village with my soul for eternity if I chose to." He reassured them. _

"_So…" Kushina began. "We don't have to leave you, then?" She asked softly. _

_Naruto smiled, before the four of them were no longer standing in the Room of Beginnings, but in front of a rather cozy-looking house that sat in the middle of a beautiful forest, a lake a short walk away from the houses porch. _

"_It's not very glamorous," Naruto started, "But you two could stay here, if you'd like." _

_Kushina cried, while Minato just nodded._

_They could stay a family._

* * *

><p>After finally leaving his mindscape, he wasn't very surprised when not much time had passed at all, only a few minutes. He always knew that the brain could take in information at startling speeds. Telling the Uchiha that he would lead them to the proverbial promise land, he continued his shinobi training for an entire year, Uchiha Itachi, Uzumaki Kushina and Namikaze Minato training him in the ways of the silent assassin.<p>

He was sure that he was at the very least what the nations called chunin, his skill surpassing many of the students attending the academy, which was what led him to his early promotion. But instead of joining the fray and exploring the world, he was put on paperwork duty.

He sighed, finally allowed to take his leave from the Hokage's side for the day. He needed to get out of that stuffy office, and the longer he was around the aged Sarutobi, the harder it was to not just shout out the many secrets he kept.

The only thing he was truly happy about that happened over the course of the year was that the Uchiha were no longer in danger of annihilation from Konoha. He had Fugaku clear things up with the village elders, and when backed by both Itachi and Shisui, they had no reason to believe any different. So the Uchiha had a change of heart, good for them. But it was not the whole truth.

The Uchiha no longer wanted to strip the Sandaime's entire regime from Konoha, which was the truth. But that's where the truth stopped. The Uchiha were done with Konoha, no longer loyal to a nation that would so easily treat them like second class citizens. No, they would follow Uzumaki Naruto now, the boy who proved to the entire clan that he was the Sage of Six Paths. He would lead them out of chaos, and they would gladly accept his teachings of harmony and peace to do so.

They were free, and it never felt so wonderful.

After being dismissed from his missions, Naruto went to the Uchiha compound, his usual hangout, where he made his way to Itachi's home. They trained every day, no matter how busy they were. They needed to be ready, because when they implemented their plans, they needed to be as strong as possible.

Rasping his knuckles on the door, he waited for someone to greet him. Not even a minute later, the door opened to reveal Uchiha Mikoto, a woman his mother had explained was one of her greatest friends in her life. Naruto smiled at the raven-haired woman and bowed his head slightly. If she garnered the respect of his mother, then she had his respect. Uzumaki Kushina only ever kept the greatest of company.

"Mikoto-san." He greeted.

Mikoto bowed back – a little too deep for his liking – and returned his smile. "Itachi is in the back, Naruto-sama." She answered an unasked question, already knowing why he was at their humble home. She still didn't know if she'd ever get over the fact that her son was the greatest friend of the Rikudo Sennin, or that the Rikudo Sennin actually walked the earth again… Just thinking about it gave her a small headache.

"Thank you, Mikoto-san." He replied, respectfully. Walking past her, he made his way to the small training grounds at the back of the house, knowing Itachi would be there, five minutes early, with a certain someone watching from the back porch. And sure enough, his little dragon was standing in the middle of the small training grounds, stretching, with a little Uchiha Sasuke sitting on the porch, kicking his legs back and forth, waiting for the spar to begin. Naruto smiled at the little tomato-loving boy who had been destined a life of suffering and pain as the next link in a chain now broken. In hindsight, they were the same age, but that didn't matter. He was thousands of years old, he'd lived lifetimes. Sasuke was just a regular eight year old. Naruto sat next to him, turning his head and smiling. "Hello, Sasuke." He greeted warmly.

Sasuke turned to him, his adoration for his brother being replaced with nigh reverence when he met the gaze of the Rinnegan. Sasuke had taken the liberty to study, as much as an academy student possibly could, about the Rinnegan, and the supposed man who first wielded them. Suffice to say, Sasuke nearly worshiped him when he was told that Naruto actually was the Sage of Six Paths, who was going to save the world with the help of his beloved older brother.

"S-Sennin-sama." Sasuke bowed, using the way his brother addressed the holy warrior.

Naruto just chuckled. "Are you going to watch our spar, Sasuke?" he asked. When the boy nodded his head vigorously, he continued. "Watch closely, okay? Your brother is fast and clever. If you take your eyes away for even a second you'll miss something." He warned. Sasuke smiled and nodded again, ready to give his entire attention to the daily spar.

Itachi exhaled deeply, turning to Naruto in a familiar stance. Getting the message, the blond made his way to the awaiting Uchiha.

Taking his own stance, the two did battle. Naruto rushed Itachi, tackling him to the ground and trusting a single fist at the young ANBU operatives head. Before his hand made contact, however, Itachi merely pointed at his friend with his index and middle fingers, only to turn his fingers to point to the left. Naruto followed his fingers, only to be met with an odd site. He was staring at himself, on top of Itachi, like there was another set of them. Suddenly, the copies turned to look at them, and were met with nothing. Naruto blinked…

He was now looking to his left, as if he had been the copies the entire time, staring at nothing. He brought his gaze back to the man below him, only to stare at his feet, as he was standing, like he hadn't moved a single inch since he spoke with Sasuke.

Naruto just chuckled, shaking his head. "You are quite terrifying, you know that?" Naruto said. Itachi was stoic as ever, but the blond could see the slight curving of his lips.

And then, Itachi blinked, Naruto no longer by his brother, like he was never there to begin with. Suddenly, the colors of the world disappeared, replaced by blacks and greys. A sharp intake of air caused Itachi to face his brother, and that's when he noticed it.

Sasuke could see the new change of the surroundings as well.

Naruto's voice echoed around the surroundings. "I was married to the reality bender, Itachi." A chuckle was heard. "Genjutsu doesn't even begin to compare to the prowess of illusory ninshu."

Itachi remembered his friend speak of this, but… to actually bend reality in a specific area was almost too much for his mind to handle. He was witnessing the forerunner of Genjutsu, where the art of tricking the mind originally came from. It was amazing.

The little dragon felt two fingers touch his back, and then the colors returned. Apparently, Naruto erased his presence from the area, masking everything in shades, and simply walked up to his sparring partner. A single touch was all both Itachi and Naruto ever really needed to end a life.

Naruto merely smiled, used to winning their spars after meeting his parents. He was able to learn the shinobi arts at a startling pace, thanks to all the help he was receiving.

His smile faded when Itachi burst into crows, and two fingers were pushed against his neck. "This is my win, Naruto-san." Itachi whispered softly. After spending so much time together, Itachi could now call him by his new name without feeling like he was disrespecting the giver of chakra.

"It would seem so, friend." He smiled. Itachi was remarkable, a truly frightening shinobi. He knew that he was someone that he would have had difficulty with if they were for some reason on opposing sides. He thanked his luck that they were friends. "Would you like the usual reward?" He asked.

Itachi brought his hand down, allowing Naruto to turn. They bowed slightly to each other, creating the seal of reconciliation, and then walked to the porch were a still stunned Sasuke sat.

In his mind, Naruto was either very close to or _the _kami, so to see him lose anything to his brother confused him more than anything. Was his Nii-san really _that _strong? Even the thought brought a smile to his face. His Aniki was so cool!

"Of course." Itachi replied.

Naruto just smiled. "What would you like to learn this time?" Naruto simply asked, amused that Itachi accepted stories of his past as a reward for winning their spars.

Itachi took a moment to think, sitting down and accepting the tea his otouto provided for the two "shinobi".

"I think…" Itachi began, "I would like it if you finished the story of how you first met your wife, Tsukuyomi-hime." He looked to his friend. "What happened to the demon that slaughtered the village you brought back?" Naruto had told him how they first met, but he hadn't explained what happened afterwards. He was curious about what became of the demon.

The reborn sage gave a glance at the barely visible moon that would soon surly take the sun's place as he remembered his past, the past of the Rikudo Sennin.

* * *

><p><em>The sun was gone, leaving to bless another side of the planet with its never ending light. The darkness that followed the absence of the sun was critical. Most of humanity had to flee to their homes, taking solace in whatever candlelight they could, but not them, not the human's – who she no longer believed to be human – she was traveling with.<em>

_Hagoromo and Hamura Otsutsuki were the definition of incredible, and at times, terrifying. _

_It had been a week since the holy soldier summoned the King of Hell and commanded him to revive an entire village on his own chakra alone. Resurrection was a power only Kami herself possessed. Her – Tsukuyomi – and the other deities were strictly forbidden and unable to perform such a divine feat. So the fact that a single man, a single _human _was able to do what a god could not was as remarkable as it was infuriating. Yama, as he was named, was a seriously scary being, not of divine or demonic origin. He just existed, and not even Kami dared to mess with his crucial work with the judgment of mortal souls. The entire world was based off Yin and Yang. Too much or too less of either would disrupt the foundation of existence, balance. _

_So when she saw his form appear, even if it was just his head, and then felt the stifling chakra, she had never been so terrified in her life. Even his eyes reflected the great priest, like the King of Hell no longer looked through his own eyes, but that of the sage's. Yes, ever since then, Tsukuyomi was scared of these men. _

_So why she was still following them even she couldn't understand. It was probably out of some idiotic sense of curiosity, the kind that was most likely unhealthy for her. She just couldn't help it. She wanted to learn more, see more of these mysterious men. How would they deal with this demon they were hunting?_

_She didn't know, but she would very soon see what they would do to the demon, to the one called _Jashin.

* * *

><p><em>A week and half, and already this renegade deity, who was now little more than a demon to them, had slaughtered so many. Entire villages were massacred, and every one revived by the most powerful man to live.<em>

_Neither Hagoromo nor Hamura would stand by as innocents were harmed. That's why the three of them, since the annoying goddess – annoying in Hamura's opinion – seemed to outright follow them everywhere they went, were about to confront said waist of life. _

"_You've already felt it, right, nii-san?" Hamura asked his best friend and twin. _

"_Hai," Hagoromo replied. "This demon is different." He made a face that showed his outrage. "This demon, he is – was a deity." Tsukuyomi looked shocked, and went to speak, but was stopped dead in her tracks by an extreme flare of chakra from the holy man. "He is the abomination that took Susanoo's sanity from him." The goddess froze. "He was the one that killed Kushinada-hime." _

"_Ah," a deep, male voice spoke, "Kushinada-hime," the voice continued, "Now that was such a beautiful woman. It was really a shame to kill her, but then again, her screams were like music to my ears." Hagoromo, Hamura and Tsukuyomi looked behind them, and were greeted by something sinister. _

_A man, who was only defined as such because of his deep, male-like voice, stood at an intimidating seven feet, his skin as black as the night with white, bone-like markings marring his face and parts of his torso. A sick, sadistic smile was present on his face and the aura of pain and suffering almost clung to his blackened skin. _

"_You are a foul, tainted creature," Hamura spoke, as he was the only one unaffected by rage enough for actual speech. "You forced my brother's hand to take life, and because of that, you will be cleansed from the earth." _

_Suddenly, the deity-turned-demon clutched at his stomach, a disgusting, maniacal laugh escaping his mouth. "Ah! You!" he began through extreme laughter. "You believe yourselves gods, don't you!?" he laughed harder, and then as fast as the laughter came, it ceased. "What gives you the notion that you can pass judgment on anyone, especially your better? I am a god, you thieving mortals! I am the very embodiment of pain! I am Jashin!" He pointed at the small group of fools, an ugly look of carnage on his face. "A goddess who is nothing but your whore who doesn't even have a domain is all you bring as backup? Are you-"_

"_Enough." Hagoromo whispered. As he spoke, he brought the might of his presence down upon the world, and the world shook. The sinister creature looked at the "god man" he heard so much about, and wasn't impressed. _

_Hamura, however, lowered his head out of pure instinct, because he knew, he knew exactly what his brother could do, what he could become, and even though his humble brother spoke as if they were equals, he knew his place. Hagoromo was scary when he was angry. _

"_I find it amusing when you bark orders to the divine, human." Jashin continued with reckless abandon. "Especially for the honor of your whore." He chuckled at his own joke. _

"_Why?" Tsukuyomi suddenly spoke, her whisper of a question just barely reaching their ears. "Why did you kill Kushinada-hime!?" she now screamed. "Because of you… because of you, Susanoo went insane! Because of you, my brother was killed!" She was crying tears of sorrow and rage. "Why would you do that to your own kind!?" Her fists were clenched and her face was twisted in rage. _

_Again, Jashin just laughed before replying. "Susanoo was in my way." The god of pain began. "I wanted to bring forth pain on the insolent, and he would have stopped me." He giggled. "Susanoo, albeit annoyingly valiant, was powerful in his own right. I couldn't risk taking him on by myself," here, he looked at the powerful human's, "So I made them do it!" He chuckled. "Thanks for that, by the way."_

_Hamura looked the foolish renegade deity in the eyes, pale eyes meeting red orbs, trying to remember the god's face, because after what he just said…_

_Hagoromo let loose his restraint, and the ground on which they stood cracked, large chunks starting to float into the air from the mighty pressure. _

… _There wouldn't be anything left of him. _

_The eyes of god – the Rinnegan with nine tomoe sitting on its rings – gazed at Hamura, and within that gaze, Hamura knew what was being asked of him. _

_The wielder of the Byakugan looked back at the now demon of pain, and smirked. "You should start begging whatever god or devil you worship for mercy," suddenly, Hamura's chakra flared – the enormity of it surprising Tsukuyomi – and the veins in and around his eyes bulged, "because you won't find anything of the sort from us." _

_Jashin snarled, flaring his own sinister, tainted chakra in defiance. "Come with it, then!" He roared. He was the embodiment of pain; these mere men could not scare him. _

_The three rushed each other, and Tsukuyomi numbly watched a battle of gods, the men who killed her brother fighting for his honor, for his sacrifice. _

_She wasn't numb because of the battle, or even the reasoning for the battle, but because of what she saw in the eyes of Hagoromo. _

_When had he gained the Rinne Sharingan? Since when did he share the same eyes as Kami?_

* * *

><p><em>It was almost pitiful how little of a chance Jashin actually had.<em>

_After the initial clash, the foul being was pushed back with unrelenting force. He was beaten, bloodied, and bruised. The entire time, however, he cried in ecstasy. The sick bastard was enjoying the pain. Realizing that death could not come of pain, Hagoromo silently ordered his brother to bring forth his ultimate technique. _

_Hamura was a powerful seal master, even better at the complicated art than his brother. His most powerful technique came in the form of his tattooed left arm. A sealing formula, the likes of which were so complicated and detailed that no one other than him could even begin to comprehend. _

_Hamura lifted the long, white sleeve of his kimono, revealing the tattoo to the world. That's when Jashin's eyes widened and he no longer cried in joy, but began to scream in fear. _

_Tsukuyomi finally allowed herself to take her eyes off the holy sage, as he was the more dominate one in the fight, and glanced at his brother. When she glimpsed at his left arm, she nearly fell to her knees, her breath leaving her. _

_Everyone present knew what the sealing array truly was. _

_Hamura had somehow learned Kami's true name, and then carved it into his left arm in such a manner that would allow him to…_

_The younger of the immortal men flared the chakra in his left arm, the Yin chakra leaking out, incasing his left arm in a blue flame. The black, crescent moon-shaped symbol on his palm seemed to bulge as he spoke his next words, pointing the left arm ablaze with blue flames at their enemy. _

"_Come forth and smite the wicked," a large, portal-like tear opened in the air next to him, and he slid his arm into it. Besides Jashin, another, larger tear opened. "Seal of Divine Wrath." And from the tear, the arm of Kami emerged, gripping the deity-turned-demon, successfully trapping him. _

_Tsukuyomi was now shaking. She had truly underestimated this man. She had seen the feats of his brother, of the priest of legend, and completely ignored him. She hadn't seen him as someone of such power, but with this act of seemingly bending Kami to his will was… it was impossible. _

"_You cannot kill pain!" Jashin shouted at the top of his lungs, fear evident in his tone. "You cannot kill me! I am balance! Without me-" He was about to go on about how he maintained the balance, but was cut off by Hagoromo. _

"_I won't kill you, Jashin." He spoke, his voice deathly silent. Jashin just smirked, feeling quite smug at the man's "confession of weakness". "No, that's too good for a vile cretin like you." His eyes snapped onto him, and Jashin felt something he was not familiar with. _

_Sheer terror. _

"_You shall face my newest technique," Hagoromo continued. "I created it just for you, after all." The chakra in his eyes built up to the point they bled, and the Rikudo Sennin called forth the great storm of summer. _

_Tsukuyomi actually fell to her knees this time, her shaking body going completely still, tears falling from her face anew. _

_A great construct of chakra surged around him, taking the form of a skeletal creature, before gaining muscle and skin, and then a thick, pure white cloak that covered its entire face and body. _

"_Susanoo…" _

_Hamura turned to Tsukuyomi. "We were able save a piece of his soul." He began. "Nii-san took that fragment, and gave it life," he smiled when their eyes met, "Gave it purpose. Susanoo can find redemption through those eyes." _

_One of the warrior's four hands rose, a white gourd materializing within it, similar to a sake jar. Suddenly, the gourd popped open, and a white, fiery substance came forth, taking the shape of an ethereal blade. "Wither away for all eternity in the world of drunken dreams."_

_Hagoromo drove the blade through Jashin, the demon of pain. _

"_You can't get rid of me, human!" Jashin snarled. "I will live on through my following!" The sage slowly began to pull the blade back, the demon's black, tainted form following suit. "I'm already worshiped! Those who embrace me will be immortal, and they will be many!" As he was completely pulled into the gourd, his last words rang out in the destroyed surroundings. "Pain will forever exist!" _

_And then, silence._

"_W-what was that?" Tsukuyomi asked. _

_Letting his technique fall, Hamura decided to answer. "The Totsuka no Tsurugi." He began. "It's a variant of my Kusanagi no Tsurugi." He put his hand on the hilt of the blade on his hip. "It seals whatever it pierces into an eternal drunken dream." He then looked at his brother, who had a far-away look in his eyes. Stepping closer to him, he put a comforting hand on Hagoromo's shoulder. "It's over, nii-san." He smiled. "You delivered justice to Susanoo. He is redeemed." _

_Hagoromo nodded, allowing "he with the ability to help by all means" fade away. He turned to his brother, and gave a small smile. "Thank you." He said. Hamura was always there to pull him out of his own thoughts. He didn't think he could fight the good fight without his brother by his side. He was so much more than just his brother; he was his friend, his partner, his blood. _

_With a sudden blur of motion, Hagoromo was tackled to the ground. He felt arms wrap around his body, and when he saw the blonde hair against his chest, he knew what was happening. _

"_Thank you…" Tsukuyomi whispered shakily. "Thank you…" She repeated those two words over and over again. Tears still ran down her cheeks, but these were tears of joy. _

_Susanoo was still alive. _

* * *

><p>"Do you miss him?" Itachi suddenly asked. "Your brother, I mean."<p>

Naruto smiled, his expression that of yearning. "I miss the both of them." He said. "Tsukuyomi was my wife, my love." He closed his eyes. "I could spend eternity holding that woman." He then opened his eyes, looking at the little dragon. "And Hamura was…" he paused, taking the moment to think. "He was my other half." He finally said. "We shaped this world together. We traveled together, ate together, and fought together, everything. He was my brother, my best friend, and most importantly, he kept me on the right path."

Itachi gave a questioning look. "Kept you one the right path?" He asked, curiously.

Naruto nodded. "My son, Asura, showed me something." He began. "He showed me that through cooperation and love, one could truly become strong. I saw a new possibility in the way he lived. I decided that I would leave humanity and let them work together to attain the love and understanding that my son had found." He touched his stomach. "I split the Juubi into nine pieces, and gave names to each fragment." He then sighed. "I realized that I knew this all along. I knew that "cooperation" was what kept me safe from hubris. I knew that my brother kept me from going down that path." He looked back to the sky. "So yes, I miss him. He was my light."

* * *

><p>He felt something gently pull him in. A force he was somewhat familiar with slowly ushered him in. He knew what was going on, and when he felt <em>him<em>, he knew what he had to do.

He wasn't happy in the pure world; _she _wasn't there, neither was _he_. He chose to go there to watch over them, but now he knew there was something else, something more that had to be done. If _he _was back, then there had to be a reason. And he would not let him do it alone. He had promised, sworn to walk the righteous path with _him _for as long as he had to. His life ended but, apparently, the mission had not.

He knew nothing of the world, not bothering to observe it since his departure. He knew that if he looked, he'd see _her _there, all alone.

So he let the force guide him, and he felt something he hadn't in a thousand years.

He was excited.

He was going to see his brother again. He was going to see his brother's children again. And hopefully, he was going to see _her _again.

He didn't even question what was happening. He knew there wasn't anyone foolish enough to fool with him, not after what he'd shown the world, what he accomplished with his brother. So he let it happen, excitement filling his mind.

He had to find his brother.

His second coming cometh.

Hyuuga Neji's eyes snapped open, the Byakugan activated.

He smirked.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note's:<strong>

**Now, last chapter, the cliffhanger was planned. This sort-of one, however, was not. I had no idea that it was coming, but when I wrote the last little segment, it just seemed to flow together so well. I hope you guys don't hate me too much. **

**Hamura can control Kami?! That's sooo OP! Calm down. No, he cannot actually control Kami, no one can. I look at it how I look at the Shiki Fuin. No one could possibly summon the Death God. I see it as bringing forth a representation of their power, like a small piece. That's what Hamura was able to do. By unknown means, he discovered god's true name, and then incorperated it into a seal. Yeah, don't underestimate Hamura Otsutsuki. **

**Hagoromo created Susanoo from... Susanoo! So I wanted this story to show the origins of, well, pretty much everything that isn't gone into in canon. Techniques, the deities said techniques are named after, reasoning behind what certain characters (Kaguya) did in the past, everything. This one had an abundance of that stuff. ;)**

**HAPPY NEW YEARS!**

**Please review.**


	7. SALIGIA

**Author's Note's:**

**Thanks to my now _official _beta, Pheonixblade, for editing this chapter. **

**A lot of things are hinted at in this chapter. Lets see who can pick out all the little Easter Eggs! **

**A lot of people won't understand the title of this chapter, so I'll explain right now. SALIGIA is a mnemonic acronym based on the first letters in Latin of the seven deadly sins: superbia, avaritia, luxuria, invidia, gula, ira, acedia. **

**Naruto seems to take a lot of lore from Christianity and other Japanese religions, so that is what I will be doing in this story. If you see different pieces of religious beliefs in this fic, don't panic. I am not a very religious person to begin with (not that being one is in anyway a bad thing). I just don't want people to feel like I'm trying to push any certain belief onto them. To each their own.**

**People who read Hero or Monster! I have not abandoned that story. I just lost a lot of motivation to write it. I've got some 3,000 plus words written for chapter twenty one, but I can't seem to push myself to finishing it. Hopefully I will suddenly want to write it, but until then, you have to wait. Sorry. I just don't want to upload crap. I'll get to it sooner or later, I promise. Until then, enjoy this fic.**

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><p>Bringer of Peace<p>

Chapter Seven – SALIGIA

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><p>He sat there, in the small, Spartan room, his mind racing with emotions, thoughts, memories, everything.<p>

He closed his eyes.

He was… Hyuuga Neji, a "prodigious" member of the branch family Hyuuga clan of Konohagakure no Sato, something fate had chosen…

He decided that he was an arrogant little boy. He took in a deep breath, his mind processing the information of the host's life. And what he found thoroughly angered him.

He rubbed his forehead, his hubris and angry mind giving him a headache. When his fingers brushed against the bandages wrapped around his head, making contact with _something_, he snapped.

His tenketsu _burned _as his chakra flared, the incredible energy running throughout his coils like a raging waterfall. The white walls around him cracked ever so slightly, the floor beneath him shattering. His white orbs snapped onto a mirror to his right. Taking not another moment, he rushed to the reflective surface, ripping the bandages that hid _it_. When the green mark was visible to him, he went deathly still.

One look at the monstrosity and he knew exactly what it was. And when he knew, he could almost laugh.

Someone dared _mark him_? Someone dared _cage him _with something so sinister? No, no they would not. He was _not _a bird to be imprisoned. This mark was put upon an innocent child, and for what? The memories began to fill his mind again, and those memories angered him even more.

_A tall, powerful-looking man with humble grace held him, tears streaking his face, his shoulders shaking. He said that he had to, that it was for the best for the village _and _the precious clan. He held him tight, not wanting to let go, knowing that this man, his… his father would never come back from wherever it was he was going. _

_He cried._

_The man who shared his father's face looked down at him, his eyes holding something his childish mind couldn't quite understand. The man nodded his head to the woman behind him, signaling for her to do something. That's when his head ached like white-hot fire was set to his brain, his eyes shut tight out of pain. _

_He cried. _

_His father hadn't returned, and he now knew he never would. To save the life of the man who shared his father's face, to save _her _father, his had to die. His father was sacrificed, sent off to die in another country, all alone. He was forsaken, but it mattered little, since he was a branch family member. He shared his father's suffering. He was all alone. _

_He cried. _

_He was sparing against _her_, against the girl who had it all. She was so pathetic it was sad. Her weak footwork and stance was almost sickening to him. She was so powerless, so why was it that she was given everything he wasn't? Why wasn't she _branded _like he was? Why was her father still alive? In a fit of jealous rage, he dropped the illusion that she was his equal and struck her with extra force, sending her to the ground. He rushed at her again, ready to deliver another blow, but was then stopped by all-encompassing pain. The mark on his forehead activated, sending pain no one could withstand into his head. He fell to his knees, clutching his head in an attempt to stay the pain. It didn't work._

_He cried. _

The room now shook in horror at the weight and pressure of the chakra being forced upon it. His chakra screamed – his mind a jumbled mess. He couldn't think straight anymore. He knew what was happening, but he couldn't stop it. He… he was scared. He needed someone he could trust, someone he knew would protect him.

He managed to slide his fingers against the blood that seeped from his mouth – his teeth biting his lip – and brushed it against the floor, creating the kanji for "brother".

And then, the distraught Neji vanished in a cyan light.

* * *

><p>Naruto's eyes snapped open when he felt the oh so familiar chakra signature wash over a part of the village. He had been sleeping in his sorry excuse for a home when he felt something he yearned for since his arrival. He could feel his light, his brother.<p>

He pushed the covers of his bed aside, jumping to his feet in confusion and excitement. He rushed to put on his sandals when, without warning, a cyan light appeared in his kitchen, which would have blinded anyone else.

The light lasted for a moment before fading. Naruto waited for the light to completely vanish before he hesitantly took a small step forward, holding his breath. He then was met with a face he didn't know, but with his eyes there was no doubt who this person was.

"H-Hamura…" he whispered to the boy who was obviously a Hyuuga.

Neji turned to the voice calling his name, a name only _his _brother could know. Even through the pain and suffering he was experiencing right now, he could tell that this blond-haired boy was somehow his Nii-san, he was Hagoromo.

"N-Nii-san…" he whispered back, breathlessly. He opened his mouth once again, but was cast into unconsciousness, his mind overloading with too much emotion and information.

Naruto's eyes widened. "Hamura!" he shouted, rushing his brother, embracing him.

* * *

><p>Itachi slid out of bed, a good night's rest causing his conditioned body to feel as if he could take the entire village in a battle royal. He chuckled to himself; that was one of Naruto-san's "How to Save Konoha" schemes, which, after half a minute, was completely dismissed.<p>

He stretched before dressing in his usual civilian clothes. Today was his first day off he'd had in months. With his Uchiha responsibilities, his ANBU duties, and training to prepare with Naruto, he was a busy, busy man. He wore his long-sleeved, dark blue shirt, his black pants and shinobi sandals. A weapons pouch was attached to his hip – no matter where he was, a shinobi was never unarmed. Even though he had his eyes, he was never an arrogant person; he knew that he couldn't depend on the Sharingan all the time. He was ready for any and all contingency's – all but _one_.

He reached out to his door, ready to greet his family before taking a walk with Sasuke, when he vanished from his room.

* * *

><p><em>Embracing his brother, he couldn't help but shake. Someone from his era, someone so close to him, was finally reunited with him. He had felt so lonely here, in this time, and even with Itachi and his mortal parents, he was so confused, so unsure of what should be done. He was flirting with extremely frightening ideas, and no one could truly see why.<em>

_None of these people had seen what the world had been like before, before the shinobi corruption. There had been war, pain and suffering, yes, but all that ended when he brought peace and order to the lands. He had given them their answer, the key to harmony, and they only used it to harm the delicate balance of the world. It was so infuriating and heartbreaking all at the same time, and he needed help… _

_With his brother lying in his arms, his familiar chakra almost _resonating _with his own, he was so overjoyed that he couldn't even speak. He just let his exhausted brother slumber, holding him, protecting him from the world. He missed him so much. _

_They just stayed like that for the entire night, Naruto waiting patiently for his brother, his light to wake. _

_They had _much _to discuss. _

* * *

><p>Itachi was surprised for all but three seconds before his calculative mind processed his surroundings and those present. He just shook his head and sighed, his ever-stoic expression greeting a curious Naruto and a Hyuuga boy he wasn't familiar with sitting at Naruto's kitchen table.<p>

Naruto gestured for Itachi to sit with them, and Itachi obeyed.

Taking a seat, and seeing how… comfortable Naruto was around the Hyuuga child, he decided to speak openly. "How am I here?" He wasn't sure, but it almost felt as if he was…

"I summoned you." Naruto replied. Seeing the questioning look on Itachi's face, he elaborated. "Chikushodo." He stated like it was the most normal thing in the world. "The animal path of the Rinnegan allows me to summon beast and man alike." As Itachi nodded, taking a seat, he couldn't help but wonder why he was being gazed at by the Hyuuga boy like he had a second head.

"So, this is one of _them_." The pale-eyed boy finally spoke, the last word of his sentence being said with venom.

Itachi raised an eyebrow, not sure what the boy meant by "them". Naruto, seeing the tension in the room, decided to ease it. "Calm yourself, Ha- Neji…" he still wasn't used to calling his brother by a different name. "Itachi is like us, a seeker of peace." The now named Neji just huffed, his mind still not sure of the "older" boy.

"We shall see." Neji replied. He folded his arms, allowing his brother to continue.

"Something…" the blond began, "Amazing happened last night, my little dragon." Itachi could see Neji's eyes narrow slightly at the affectionate nickname he was given. Naruto pointed to Neji, a wide smile marring his face. "My brother has returned, reincarnated into a body of this era, like me."

Immediately, Itachi snapped his eyes on the boy he sat with, a slightly shocked look in his eyes. "You m-mean…" he began.

"Yes," Naruto finished for his friend. "This is Hamura, my twin." Itachi just stared at the Hyuuga boy, wonder in his eyes, not missing when Neji gave a small, almost unnoticeable, proud smile at his brother's words.

"How?" Itachi asked.

Naruto opened his mouth to speak, but Neji cut him off. "It doesn't matter "how"," he said with barely contained rage, "What does matter is _why_?" He stood. "We leave this world to let humanity live on their own two feet, and what do they do?" Neji was practically seething. "You people corrupt our teachings, our ideals. You bring war back to what was a peaceful world, and for what?" He shook his head. "This is no longer our world, brother. This is the shinobi's world, and I want nothing to do with it!"

After Neji had finally awoken from his slumber, Naruto began to summarize what he learned since his time back in the impure world. And with the memories of his already developed host, he was able to piece together a puzzle that thoroughly disgusted him. Shinobi, ninjutsu, war, the treatment of his brother's creations, everything was just so… so wrong, so molested.

To him, shinobi were nothing but a twisted, sickening plague, something to be eradicated from the lands, something akin to a demon. The life of a killer, a murderer was not a life worth living, and that's exactly what Neji thought of shinobi, worthless. They were beings of chaos and darkness, and he couldn't wait for his brother to give him the command to wash them away with all the powers he possessed.

Ninjutsu had almost been as terrible a thing as the shinobi who created it, and he would gladly rip his eyes from his skull before he practiced the corrupted form of his brother's religion. Ninshu was sacred, something not to be muddied by foul, treacherous fools. Yet again, humanity had proved their wickedness, shown their true colors, and polluted the religion they spent so long to spread to the people, to the weak. Ninshu was created to mold humanity into harmony so that there was no class system. The weak would have a voice among the strong, and men, women and children would walk as one. Ninshu was unity, global unity. Ninjutsu was its ugly counterpart; it was a tool for insurrection. It was a betrayal.

War was something he was familiar with, having ended all of them with his brother in their original era. He had worked side-by-side with Hagoromo for _years _to bring order to mortals, ending all battles between them. It was no easy task, and it wasn't an overnight occurrence. So to hear about all the wars and battles fought between shinobi, between clan's, made him furious. Mortals seemed to actively seek conflict, pain and suffering. It was ridiculous.

His brother's creations were like family, and when it was explained to him that the nine children created to safeguard humanity from demonic and divine alike were caged, imprisoned by mortals and used as tools in a war they had nothing to do with, he wished for the heavens and hells to crush them all. He lost all sympathy, all hope for the inferior species. He no longer wished to carry the mantle of protector. He was _done _with humanity.

"Ha-" Again, Neji stopped Naruto from speaking.

"No!" he shouted. "They don't deserve our help, Hagoromo! They have welcomed, damn near _embraced _this twisted way of life, and you know this to be true." He gave his brother a knowing look. "You may wear a different face, but do not forget that with my eyes, I can see your soul, and I can see that you know I speak the truth." He looked to Itachi, not caring if he had similar goals as he _once _had. "You've sealed your _fate_, mortal." He continued. Itachi felt uneasy with those rage-filled orbs staring at him, and for good reason. Naruto felt his brother send massive amounts of chakra to his eyes, and saw a cyan glow begin to shine around his form, invisible to all but his eyes. He was planning on using _that_.

Itachi… no, all of Konoha would fall by his hand if he used _that_.

It all happened so fast.

Chakra on a scale so large, so titanic that instead of shaking buildings, cracked walls and shattered floors, everything was just silent, still, frozen. There was no sound, no mighty flare or arrogant show of power. There was nothing to prove that the presence of a god had appeared in the village hidden in tree leafs.

There was no speedy reaction, no god-tier match of skills, nothing. All that changed was Neji's eyes locked upon Naruto's, and all hate, all malice, all negative emotions simply vanished, banished from the home of the "Kyuubi child".

Itachi had finally seen what his friend was capable of, and he now knew that during their spars… Naruto had _let _him win, because with that amount of chakra alone, he could probably take on the entirety of the Elemental Nations.

And for the first time in his life, Itachi feared the power of another man.

* * *

><p>The Room of Beginnings was a holy, untainted dimension created by Otsutsuki Hagoromo to practice his more… <em>terrifyingly destructive <em>techniques. It is the place the holy sage gave form to the nine Bijuu before breathing life into them. It was the one place _no one _could gain entrance to without permission, since it was a dimension that existed within the mind of the eldest son of the Rabbit Goddess. Not even kami could force her way in, and she was omnipotent.

It is also the place Hagoromo and Hamura went to settle matters of conflict between the two. They seldom had such conflicting opinions, but the only way they could truly understand one another was when they traded blows without the fear of death or injury. It was the one time they used violence to bring about peace, and that was the very reason why the two were in the Room of Beginnings now, their host bodies looking at one another with silent understanding.

An activated Byakugan stared at the powerful Rinnegan, indignation and contempt towards humanity in the former, serenity and content – in what, was still a mystery – in the latter.

In a blink of an eye, what had been Uzumaki Naruto and Hyuuga Neji gazing at one another was now Hagoromo and Hamura, in their era's adult bodies, holding their respective shakujo. The Room of Beginnings was a place time had no meaning.

"Humanity is no longer what it used to be, Hagoromo." Hamura stated. He called his brother by his name only when he was upset, and right now, he was furious.

Hagoromo sighed. "No, brother, they are exactly what they used to be." He began, much to the confusion of his twin. "Humanity has always relished in the capital vices: lust, greed, gluttony, pride, envy, sloth, and wrath. We've always known this." He chuckled. "Wasn't it you to dub it the Seven Deadly Sins of Humanity?" He saw the pointed look his brother shot him, silently asking the relevance of his statement. "Humanity has never been a peaceful species. War and conflict has always plagued them, even before mother came to the realm of mortal life." Hamura looked to his right in a rare show of discomfort. They had long ago learned of their mother's origin, and it was something they tried to ignore and keep a secret.

"What is the point of lecturing me in the ways of mortal existence?" Hamura asked. He was so irritated, so un-calm that he couldn't keep his mind clear.

"The point, brother, is that humanity hasn't changed, they haven't undergone an evolution of any kind." He looked to his hands, the hands of Otsutsuki Hagoromo. "It is we who have changed, Hamura."

Hamura narrowed his eyes. "Just because we reside in the bodies of children doesn't mean we are any different than we used to be, therefore your statement is moot. Humanity _has_ changed." He knew he was being stubborn, but that too was moot at the moment.

"I do not speak of our bodies, Hamura, I speak of our methods." His brother looked to him like he was crazy. Hagoromo just sighed before continuing. "We brought peace and order to humanity, yes, but we also abandoned them." He saw his brother open his mouth to defend their actions, but stopped him with a wave of his hand. "We weren't wrong in our actions, brother, we were wrong in our faith." Hamura noticed his brother give a slightly dark expression. "We believed that humanity was ready for independence. We thought if we gave them the tools, they could create harmony. We mistook amelioration for peace, for an insatiable appetite for power and subjugation."

Hamura couldn't tell if his brother was still trying to defend humanity or slander them. "How does this change our methods?" He asked. His brother wasn't making any sense.

"Do not stand there and pretend to be anything but a bringer of peace, Hamura. It's below you." Hagoromo began. "It is in out genetic coding to protect, to safeguard." Again, Hamura looked uncomfortable when he brought up their origins. "You feel hurt, betrayed, angry," he continued, "I know _exactly _how you feel. I felt the same when I was brought back, but that doesn't mean my purpose in life changes." He steeled himself, saying the words that were considered taboo for them. "Project Cometh Peace-"

"Okay!" he shouted, unable to hear anymore. "Okay…" he whispered in a breathless tone with his head hung low.

"We have been betrayed, there is no doubt in that, but if we resort to revenge like you were about to, we would be no better than them." He saw his brother flinch at his words. "That is not our way, and I refuse to become tainted by the darkness that follows vengeance."

"So what would you have me do?!" Hamura shouted. His emotions and thoughts were so jumbled that he just wished… he wished _she _was by his side.

"That is where our methods change, little brother." He gave his other half a serious look. "And it is also where I desperately need your help." His serious expression turned worried. "Thoughts, the likes of which I have never even fathomed have been racing through my mind, and they… they scare me, Hamura." He shook his head. "No… they _terrify _me."

Hamura blinked at his brother's expression, never before witnessing such alarm on his face. His brother was invincible, nothing scared him… right? "Please explain…" he finally spoke.

Hagoromo sighed, folding his legs in mid-air, where he began to _hover _like it was normal. "I look at our accomplishments, our supposed _legacy_, and I can't help but think we failed…"

"We did what we set out to do! It was humanity that failed _us_, not us them!" Hamura interrupted, an incredulous look marring his face.

Hagoromo shook his head. "I don't think we can truly say we brought about peace, because peace is everlasting. Our peace was little more than an illusion, our belief in our ability to mold the future a delusion of grandeur." He tightened his grip on his shakujo. "We were naïve, and it caused a lot of strife."

Hamura shook with fury. "A delusion of grandeur?" the air felt heavy. "Ninshu was true enlightenment, a gift to attain harmony for all living life. How could we predict just how powerful the greed of mortals could be?"

"I agree, Hamura." Hagoromo replied, slightly shocking and very much confusing him. "But I will not abandon them, and neither will you. It's in our blood to help the innocent."

"I don't believe humanity is innocent." Hamura said in a calm seriousness. "They are all guilty of a mortal sin."

"With that disposition, _Lilith _would-"

Faster than a fraction of a second, Hamura was upon him, his shakujo poised to strike. A look of utter rage and madness was on his otherwise stoic face.

Hamura was outraged.

Hagoromo raised his own shakujo to block the incoming swing, his eyes widening when the strength behind the attack met him. His brother wasn't holding back. When the black staves met, an explosion from the pressure erupted, the entire surrounding area heating up exponentially. After the steam finally faded, Hamura gave his brother a look of utter rage.

"Do _not _speak as if you know anything about her, brother." He warned in a low voice that promised pain.

Hagoromo took in a deep breath, finally realizing what needed to be done. His brother was reincarnated into a host that was practically the embodiment of vanity. He would not listen because he _couldn't_. He was like an Uchiha.

He smirked. He had made the ironically blind clan of Sharingan users see his way; a Hyuuga was child's play.

He let loose his breath.

* * *

><p>Five seconds had passed with Naruto just staring into Neji's eyes, the two unmoving for the short amount of time, before they both suddenly blinked, looking at Itachi like nothing had transpired at all.<p>

Neji sighed. "I am sorry, Itachi." He surprised the young Uchiha. "I was not myself." He nodded his head in the closest thing to a bow he could come to.

Itachi just shook his head. "You have nothing to apologize for, Neji-san." He replied. "If I were in your position, I'd very well wish to lash out at the ones who betrayed me." He understood the man from another time.

Neji just raised an eyebrow, smirking. "There may be hope in humanity yet, Hagoromo." He commented.

The blond beside him sighed. "My name is Naruto now, brother, Naruto. You can't go around speaking my real name. People will think you mental." He chuckled at his words.

Neji gave him an amused look. "I just can't understand why anyone would name their child "fishcake"." It was true; he couldn't comprehend the reasoning for that.

Naruto crossed his arms in mild irritation, puffing his lower lip out a little. "It also means "maelstrom"…" he pouted softly. This, in turn, only added to the amusement of his pale-eyed brother.

"Of course it does, Nii-san." Neji replied.

"I take it everything is settled, then?" Itachi asked. "Will you help us in our mission to save the world?"

Neji smiled at the boy. He could tell why his brother was so fond of him.

"Yes," he began, "I will aid you in the saving of the world." He never really put it like that, and he found it sounded a little silly, but he went with it, for simplicity's sake if anything.

Itachi gave one of his rare smiles, mirrored by the "younger" boy's in the apartment.

"Good." Itachi said. "Now, we commit high treason."

* * *

><p><em>He let loose his breath.<em>

_Neji watched as tomoe slowly appeared on the rings of his brother's Rinnegan, and gone was his anger, replaced by slight fear in the progenitor of the Rinnegan and Sharingan. _

_In the blink of an eye, Hagoromo was behind him, his right arm incased in mechanical armor due to Shurado, his asura path. With his Byakugan, Hamura could see that the mechanized limb was flooding with chakra. _

_Before he could react or process anything else, he was hit in the back with the force of an exploding volcano. It _hurt_. _

_He was launched a great distance away, the power behind the blow mightier than anything he'd ever felt before. Not wasting any time, Hagoromo was upon his brother once more, slamming his body into the ground before he could land._

"_If I have to beat some sense into you, I will." Hagoromo stated coldly. _

_Hamura rose from the place he was smashed into, dusting his long, white robes even though things like dust and dirt did not exist in the Room of Beginnings. "You cannot make me _see _whatever it is you wish for me to see, Hagoromo." Hamura began, flaring his chakra in a fashion that would let him let loose some of his stronger techniques. "Humanity hasn't committed a venial sin. They are guilty of mortal sins, and not just one or two." He raised his hand, holding up a single finger. "One," he began, "The corruption of ninshu." _

"_Ninjutsu isn't inherently evil, brother." Hagoromo tried, but was totally ignored by him. _

_Holding up a second finger, Hamura continued. "Two," he started, "These World Wars the shinobi are so fond of." A third finger rose. "Three." this time, his eyes shimmered with something akin to murder. "The treatment of your creations is a direct act of war in my eyes, and I plan to give humanity what it so desires." His left arm flared a brilliant red light, his chakra erupting to the likes of which surpassed the Bijuu. "I will declare war on them, and then… _I will wash away the sin that is humanity_."_

_With speed that might even surpass his mortal father's, his brother rushed him, his left arm ablaze with pure Yin chakra. The burning fist met his mechanized one, and his armor creaked and cracked under the pressure. With a grunt of effort, he pushed his brother to the side, only to be bombarded by an assault of speedy strikes. With his eyes, he could decipher what his brother was doing. _

"_Using the Hyuuga clan's Juken, are we?" he asked while he simultaneously dodged the almost lightning fast assault. He smirked. "Did your host really know so much about the sacred form _your _descendants created?" _

_That comment slowed him, but only for a moment. _

_A moment was all Hagoromo needed. _

_With only a thought, his right arm shifted, turning into a cannon-like contraption. Building a ridiculously large amount of pure Yang chakra in a matter of seconds, Hamura was blasted away by a bright, powerful flash of blue. _

_Landing a considerable distance away, Hamura coughed, the blast of raw life ironically injuring him. _

"_Why are you still trying to deceive yourself, brother?" Hagoromo asked. He had a knowing look on his face. "You and I both know you still care for humanity. We both know you believe that individuals can't be forsaken for a larger group of fools." He wouldn't say her name again, but he was sure that his brother got the message. Lilith was a member of a species he helped wipe off the face of the earth, and yet…_

_He loved her. Otsutsuki Hamura had only loved one woman in his long life, and that woman happened to be a demon, the very first demon. _

"_Your eyes may see souls," he raised his hand, his palm facing up, "But with my eyes," his father had taught him this ingenious technique, "I see _everything._" Hamura had no time to react, no time to counter. The purple sphere of _grinding _Yin-Yang chakra was slammed into his stomach. _

"_Rasengan!" he shouted his father's legacy loud enough for all of creation to hear. The name of the Yondaime Hokage's jutsu would echo in the Room of Beginnings for all eternity._

_Taking massive damage from the technique he had never heard or seen of before, Hamura did the only thing he could do. _

_He activated the eyes that allowed him to stand as equals with his brother._

_Suddenly, Hamura's Byakugan vanished, replaced by brilliant cyan eyes, a darker blue pupil in the center. _

"_So you unleash the Tenseigan." Hagoromo started before giving a small smirk. "Good." With impossible speed, he absorbed the Natural Energy that naturally flowed throughout the Room of Beginnings. With the Tenseigan, Hamura could tell just how much of the world's energy his brother was absorbing, but he stubbornly held his ground. _

"_Let us end this, Hamura." He spoke. _

_Hamura just nodded, his entire body lighting up in cyan flame, his Tenseigan Chakra Mode now activated. This was his most powerful weapon, his most powerful form. He had fought demons, gods, and men alike in this form, and never before had any being survived. All had fallen to this powerful form, all but his brother, that is. _

_Before his very eyes, Kurama, his brother's most powerful creation, appeared in the Room of Beginnings, a snarl on his face. Determination to protect his father lit his eyes, and his chakra slowly encased Hagoromo's body, doubling, tripling, quadrupling, and then quintupling his brother's already monstrous chakra. In mere seconds, nine boiling tails swung to and fro behind him. The absolutely titanic chakra flowing through the room would have outright killed lesser beings. Even Kurama, the mighty Kyuubi, was struggling to keep his wits about him. His mind was in a fog, lost in the power, in the absolutely _delicious _aura. It wasn't every day one was allowed to feel the presence of gods in such close proximity._

_Hamura's left arm burst into red flame, adding to the cyan that flickered on his body, his power now at its absolute max. _

_That's when his brother did something he always counted as cheating. His left arm burst into red flame, his right into blue. He wasn't at his max – just scratching the surface, actually – but it was all the power he could summon without using _that_. He didn't wish to kill his brother, he just wished to beat some sense into him._

_The shared a single look before they dashed at each other, Kurama roaring behind his father, sending him as much chakra as he possibly could. _

* * *

><p><em>Hamura laid on his back, panting, thoroughly defeated. "Okay…" he smirked. "I needed that." He knew his host body was too arrogant, too angry to allow him to think straight, which was why his brother had beaten some sense into him. He could now accept that <em>fate _wasn't his master, that he and he alone could forge his future. He knew he couldn't abandon humanity, but he knew he couldn't simply forgive them._

"_I'm glad you finally see to reason." Hagoromo said. He was slightly panting as well, but nowhere near as exhausted as his little brother was. _

_A short silence followed before Hamura asked the question he had been too stubborn to ask. "Those thoughts that… scare you…" He spoke in a low tone. "What are they?"_

_Hagoromo's eyes looked down in something akin to shame. "I wonder if mother had been right." That simple sentence was enough for Hamura to sit upright, his eyes wide. _

"_W-what?!" he asked in shock and confusion. _

_He shook his head. "Mother had also brought peace to the lands… but that, too, only lasted for so long." He looked his brother in the eye. "Had our mother seen humanity for what it truly was? Had she determined that the only way to save them and the world was to subjugate them? Had she come to the conclusion that the Mugen Tsukuyomi was…" here, he gulped, "Humanity's only salvation?" The very words sent chills down his back. _

_Hamura was silent, a wide-eyed, frozen look marring his face. It… it made sense…_

"_So what do we do?" he whispered, not trusting his own mind. How could he see such a dark, foul means to an end as a viable option?_

"_I do not know…" he looked to his brother. "That's what I need your help for." He let out a disturbed sigh. "I no longer know what the true answer to peace is." He shook his head. "Humanity will always seek out the capital vices."_

"_SALIGIA." Hamura stated._

"_SALIGIA." Hagoromo echoed, nodding his head. _

"_I will walk with you, brother." He stood. "We will find the right path, together." Hagoromo smiled when Hamura put a hand on his shoulder. It is time we changed the world, again."_

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><p><strong>Author's Note's:<strong>

**Okay, a few things I should explain before people get upset.**

**Hamura won't be _exactly _how he is in this chapter. Having been reincarnated into a host who's already lived nine years (and is as mature as Hyuuga Neji) would mess with anyone's head, and it hints at the fact that the hosts aren't just gone. They are still there, just coexisting with the powerful brothers. And yes, Hamura loves a demon. Lilith is an actual being within the Christian religion (and maybe Catholic, not sure). Look her up. I see Hamura as the epitome of pureness (not sure why) and as such, giving him a demonic lover brings in a new kind of hardship, drama. **

**Why doesn't Hagoromo/Naruto use the Rinnegan abilities we are so used to? This is only the beginning, people. I'm almost tempted to call these chapters the prologue to the actual story. We haven't even reached canon yet, and we won't for a little while longer. Give it time. **

**When will Naruto interact with more of the people of his era? Next chapter.**

**Please review. It's seriously the greatest pleasure a writer on this site can attain. Every review encourages me to write more. More reviews equals more chapters. **


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